Burned
by BadWolf953
Summary: Kate Matthews is the newest employee at Wayne Enterprises. While she resists Bruce Wayne's charms at work, will she resist his help when she becomes involved in something too dangerous for her own good? What will Batman do when he isn't the only hero in Gotham city, after being unmasked by a woman he deemed harmless? Bruce Wayne/Batman & OC.
1. Chapter One: New Hire

This is my very first fanfic that I've allowed anyone to read. I am revving up for the release of the final Batman film (Can July 20th arrive any faster?). Kate Matthews is my own creation, however, I do not own Bruce Wayne/ Batman or any other characters in this fanfic. The setting for this fic is after The Dark Knight, but the events have changed slightly. Rachel Dawes was saved and Harvey Dent died. Batman is still in Gotham.

I have no beta. All errors are my own.

Please review if you think it is worth your time. This first chapter is a little dry, as it is the set-up for something much bigger. Rated T for now, but expect the rating to go up eventually ;D

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Chapter One: New Hire

The skies of Gotham city had never looked better to Bruce Wayne. A wide grin stretched across the Playboy's face as he stepped out of his vehicle and marched through the entrance of Wayne Tower. The blonde woman seated at the front desk of the main floor immediately straightened her posture and offered him a coy smile, one that he returned. Bruce Wayne was the billionaire playboy that almost every women fawned over at one point or another. Now, he was so used to it that he expected it.

He hated it. Every minute of this false life drove him mad. His butler had once told him that if he tried to have fun, he might actually find himself enjoying it every once in awhile. However, Bruce was still waiting for that moment. The moment where he had a genuine smile on his face when he was around a real friend. The closest thing he had to a real friend was Rachel Dawes, and even she was still distant with him. After her fiancé, Harvey Dent, had been killed, she had not been the same.

The choice that The Joker had given Batman had come with a price. Batman had saved the woman that he loved and allowed Gotham's White Knight to die. Only Rachel and Gordon knew the real circumstances, and Rachel had never forgiven him.

The loud beep indicated that the elevator doors were open and Bruce quickly shook himself out of his thoughts. He glanced down at the watch on his wrist and rolled his eyes, an exasperated sigh slipping past his lips. It was exactly two minutes past ten. He was, as his business manager would say, late.

A young woman stepped inside the elevator at the last minute and Bruce reluctantly waited at the back of the elevator, allowing her to choose the destination. Instead of hitting a single button, she pressed four different ones, much to Bruce's annoyance.

The ride up to the board room could not have been any slower. Bruce glared at the back of the brunette's head, his eyes practically boring into her. "Ma'am, which floor were you planning on going to?" he asked tersely.

"That is none of your concern," came her response. Her tone was all business, which made Bruce roll his eyes once more.

There was no more conversation between the two of them until the elevator finally reached the floor that Bruce needed. "Excuse me," he said, stepping around her and walking straight past the woman sitting at the desk. "Good morning, Jessica," said Bruce with a gentle smile. "You are looking fantastic today, did you get a haircut?"

"I did, Mister Wayne," Jessica replied, one dark hand reaching up to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face, "Thank you."

Bruce smiled warmly and shook his head, offering her a wink. Jessica was one of the best workers that Bruce had ever met. Her kindness was overwhelming and she went to great lengths to make sure that everyone was happy. "Have a good day, Jessica," he told her. Bruce pushed open the doors to the board room and walked inside, offering his business manager, Lucius Fox, a nod of the head. "Good morning, Mister Fox."

"Mister Wayne, you're late," Lucius Fox offered him a brief smile and the nod of his head, "Sit."

"I am aware of that, Lucius," Bruce sat down in his seat at the head of the table, his hands automatically going to loosen the tie around his neck. The private meetings that he had with Lucius were formal and meant for appearance only. The matters that they discussed had nothing to do with Wayne Enterprises. "Lucius, I need to take a few days off," Bruce began, "There's a problem in The Narrows that needs attention."

"I am assuming that Batman will be taking care of those matters, Mister Wayne," Mr. Fox responded, "You need not request any vacation time. You are the owner of Wayne Enterprises, after all."

Bruce grinned briefly, "Lucius, you are one of my biggest assets. Keeping you in the loop is essential." Lucius Fox was well known for taking a failing business and turning it into a blooming conglomerate. There wasn't much that Lucius Fox couldn't handle, including the task of running the company whenever Bruce was away. Whenever Bruce was running around being Gotham's savior.

Bruce Wayne and Batman were one and the same. A man who aimed to protect the innocent people of Gotham and to eradicate evil from the streets.

"Mister Wayne, I do need to discuss Wayne Enterprises with you," Mr. Fox said. "I approved of a new transfer yesterday. She comes from Elite Productions with a very long list of impressive accomplishments."

"She?" Bruce arched a brow, his expression curious. This was the first time that Lucius had ever brought up a transfer with him. "Where will you be placing her?"

"Her name is Kate Matthews. She will be the head of Archives, for now." Mr. Fox was brief and not entirely forthcoming. Lucius handed Bruce a file with several sheets of paper in it, "Here is her background check and her accomplishments."

"Lucius, you've hired a woman with impressive accomplishments to push papers around for us in Archives?" Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "What plans do you have for her, Lucius?"

"She's coming here under strange circumstances, Mister Wayne," Lucius finally said. "Elite Productions is run by a very dangerous man. She shows great promise and, as much as I hate hiring people out of pity, I felt the need to remove her from what could only be a bad situation."

"Your heart is far too big, Lucius," Bruce commented. "I will meet with Miss Matthews when I return." He stood and smoothed out his suit jacket, fixing his tie a moment later. Appearances were important for those who supported Wayne Enterprises, and as much as Bruce disliked it, he needed to keep his father's name intact.

"I am afraid that she is already here, Mister Wayne, and she is waiting outside," Lucius pressed a button on the intercom. "Jessica, would you send Miss Matthews in here, please?"

"Right away, Mister Fox," Jessica answered, her voice filtering through the intercom. A moment later, the doors to the board room opened and a young woman stepped inside.

Bruce Wayne's eyes widened and he quickly covered his surprise with a smile. Kate Matthews was a beautiful woman, more beautiful than all of the woman that the playboy had ever laid eyes on. She also happened to be the same woman who had snapped at him in the elevator and wasted his precious time zipping from one floor to the next.

"Mister Fox, Mister Wayne," Kate addressed each man with a pleasant smile. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun, revealing the gentle features of her face. Dark lines enhanced the almond shape of her eyes and her ice blue optics dazzled in the light. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. My boss speaks highly of the both of you."

Bruce cleared his throat and nodded, "Mister Fox was just telling me about you." He shot to his feet and grasped her delicate hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and placing a kiss on the back of her hand. When he released her hand, he let his eyes wander over her slim figure. His brown eyes admired her exposed legs and traveled upwards, taking in the well dressed business woman with a careful eye. She was wearing a tight, black pencil skirt -which left nothing to the imagination- and a blue, silk button up shirt. Bruce didn't always enjoy the playboy act, but at that particular moment, he couldn't complain.

"Mister Wayne, my eyes are here," Kate finally said. The expression on her face was close to annoyance, "I would have thought you had enough time to check me out in the elevator." Kate clasped her hands together and took a seat, crossing one leg over the other. "The tabloids here give you quite the reputation, as does the female population of Gotham, of being a playboy," she began, a look, one of disgust, passed over her features. "I, however, plan on working to my full potential here as the head of your Archives department. I will not tolerate anything less than the upmost respect from you."

An appalled look crossed Lucius face, "Miss Matthews, I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about," he quickly interrupted, shooting Bruce a glare. "Mister Wayne is usually quite chivalrous and not so infantile."

"I apologize, Miss Matthews," Bruce sounded sincere, but Kate was hardly ready to forgive him. While men seemed to be more fueled by their hormones than their brains, Kate expected the respect that she deserved as a human being. There was something completely unnerving about Bruce Wayne, and Kate wanted nothing to do with him.

"I will not work for you if you view me as a play-thing," Kate replied coldly, "I am here to organize your affairs and oversee the Archives department." Her chin was raised and Bruce could sense that she was trying to take pride in her position. He admired her, the position that she was given was one of the least coveted jobs in Wayne Enterprises, which was why they rarely filled it.

"As the head of Archives, if you need any assistance, you may call on me personally," Bruce informed her, an impish grin on his lips. "You will be a wonderful asset to the business and I would hardly think to take advantage of someone who-" he paused briefly, glancing over the file that had been given to him. He blinked and glanced back up at her, "Someone with such excellent credentials."

"I'm afraid I did not inform Mister Wayne of your past experience," Lucius told her with a polite smile. "Perhaps you would like to enlighten him."

As Bruce glanced over the file, he found that Kate was the daughter of a local mob boss and the heiress to over four million dollars in cocaine. _What type of experience is this? _Bruce wondered, daring to look at his new employee once more before he began reading again. She was in the top of her graduating class at Harvard, held degrees in criminal justice and communications, and she was twenty-eight years old. The last bit was more interesting to Bruce on a personal level, because he was very interested in her.

"Mister Fox, is it possible for me to see where I will be working?" Kate asked abruptly. "Mister Wayne is capable of reading about me and I would like to begin my work."

"Very well, Miss Matthews," Lucius agreed with the nod of his head. "I will show you to Archives. There is only one other woman who works on the level and she only works on Tuesdays."

Kate bowed her head and glanced at Bruce, "Mister Wayne, it was a pleasure to meet you," sarcasm dripped off of her words. If she could punch him in the face, perhaps then she would be satisfied.

"The pleasure was all mine, I am sure," Bruce volleyed back, a smirk on his lips.

"Mister Wayne, with all due respect, you are a pompous asshole," Kate spat back. "Now I understand why you're a playboy. You don't have enough respect for women to find one who is willing to stay." She clenched her fists at her side and marched out of the room. "I can find my own way down to Archives."

Bruce Wayne was left in the board room with a shocked look on his face. No one talked to Bruce Wayne like that and got away with it. At least, no one had before. What had stopped him from firing her on the spot? It was obvious that she had no interest in him, in fact, it was nearly a crime for her to not like him. "Mister Fox, I do believe that you hired the perfect woman for Wayne Enterprises," he finally said.

"Yes, Mister Wayne, I believe I have."

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I really hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter Two: Welcome to Archives

I promise that there will be some action in the next chapter. This was hard to write and it felt a little rushed. I really hope you enjoy this and the next chapter should be up within the week!

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Kate Matthews had fumed the entire way down to Archives, irritation clear on her face. Perhaps it was childish of her to do so, but she had expected a more tamed and gentlemanly boss, not some hot shot playboy. It had been easy enough to find her way down to Archives and she had been surprised to find that it consisted of an entire floor. There were two floors beneath the main lobby, the lowest level was Applied Sciences, which had been the first place Kate had been interested in. However, Mr. Fox had told her that they had closed that department due to a lack of funds. However, Kate was quite sure that there was no 'lack of funds' in Wayne Enterprises.

The Archives department was a large room with over fifty rows of shelves and cabinets, which, no doubt, held all the information about Wayne Enterprises. A layer of soft, beige carpet padded the floor and the walls were adorned with beautiful pieces of art. While the room was monstrous, it wasn't as boring as Kate had expected.

"Hello?" It was a Tuesday, which meant that Kate was not the only person working in Archives. "Is there anyone else here?" Kate glanced around one of the many rows of cabinets, searching for any sign of life.

"Oh! You must be Miss Matthews!" Kate nearly jumped out of her polished, black pumps when a woman walked out of a small room near the back of the large room. "My name is Connie! Connie Smith!" She was short and stubby, a motherly look plastered onto her soft features. Her long, dark brown hair was braided neatly down her back and her glasses were around her neck, secured by a silver chain.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Connie," a gentle smile appeared when Kate laid eyes on the woman. The two shook hands and then, Connie threw her arms out and enveloped the new girl in a warm embrace.

"I just love hugs," Connie explained when she pulled away and readjusted the white sweater she wore. "My my, you are quite the looker! I'm shocked that Mister Wayne doesn't have you as his personal assistant."

A blush colored Kate's cheeks, "You are very kind, but I am afraid that Mister Wayne and I do not get along very well."

"Mister Wayne can be very rude," Connie agreed, a grin on her face. "He can be a sweetheart, though. I've been here for nearly forty years and the tabloids don't do him justice."

"How is that possible?" Kate asked, "He is, by far, the rudest man I have ever met."

A knowing smile appeared on Connie's face. Gently, the older woman wrapped her weathered hand around Kate's wrist and led her to the small room near the back. "Kindness is something that Bruce Wayne does not show to new employees. Especially female employees. He is Gotham's Prince, after all, he must put on a show for all the beautiful women."

"Most princely characters are noble. I see nothing noble in him," Kate muttered. "So, Connie, why do you only work one day a week? Do you have another job?"

"I developed a brain tumor last year, and when Mister Wayne found out, he made it possible for me to spend more time with my family and less time here. My salary remains the same, but I am no longer required to be here. I can spend as much time with my family as I need." Connie smiled briefly and, when they reached the office near the back of the room, she motioned to the door. "This is our office, there's one desk, two chairs, and a sofa."

Kate was stunned into silence by the story. Perhaps Bruce Wayne did deserve a second chance. The moment that thought passed through Kate's mind, she shook her head and firmly reprimanded herself. _Absolutely not. He can have a second chance after he acts like a gentleman._

"Miss?" Connie gave the young woman's wrist a gentle squeeze. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes! The office sounds lovely," Kate snapped out of her thoughts and pulled her hand out of Connie's grip. She patted Connie's shoulder and smiled, "We can share the desk."

"Oh no!" The elderly woman shook her head. "I never use the desk, that is for you, Miss Matthews. On a normal day, I'm usually organizing the new papers that come down here. There isn't a whole lot of desk work down here, most of the work involves filing new papers and retrieving old ones for Mister Fox."

Kate nodded her head. "Well then, we should have a very interesting day ahead of us."

"Actually, I have to leave early for an appointment with my doctor," Connie admitted. "However, screw paperwork, let's get to know each other better." With a chuckled, Connie went into the office and took a seat on the mahogany sofa.

Kate followed Connie's lead. The room was illuminated by bright fluorescent lights. A desk sat in the middle of the room, one chair pushed in behind it while the other faced it. Several photos and paintings spruced up the eggshell colored walls and adorned the polished surface of the desk. "Is this your family?" Kate motioned towards a black and white photograph. Within the frame, a young woman stood with a baby swaddled in her arms, a warm, recognizable smile on her face. The arms of a handsome Hispanic man were wrapped around her, an equally warm smile on his face.

"That is a very old picture," admitted the older woman. "That is my son, Thomas. He died two years ago from prostate cancer. His father was killed by a mob boss, Richard Marcus. It was on our seven year wedding anniversary too...that fool, I told him not to get involved with them."

Kate's blood ran cold and she stiffened. Hearing her father's name brought back thousands of memories that she had fought to bury. "I am so sorry," she whispered. Silence captured the room. _What could I possibly say to this woman? What could possibly make a difference? _ After a long moment of thought, Kate moved over to the sofa and sank down onto the soft cushion. Her small hands rested over Connie's wrinkled ones. "Someday, that man will pay for his crimes. Trust me, Connie."

A crystal tear fell from her eye and landed on Kate's hand. "Miss Matthews, thank you," Connie's hands trembled beneath Kate's and the young woman gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Call me Kate, I think we know enough about each other to be on a first name basis," A small smile appeared on her lips, "Why don't you tell me more about your son? Do you have any other children?"

"I have two daughters, Monica and Melinda," Connie replied. "They both live at home with me..." Kate's simple questions spurred on a story that last for more than two hours. When the story came to an end, Kate glanced at the watch on her wrist and then at the clock fixed to the wall above the door. "Connie, you'd better get to your appointment," Kate finally said, "We'll have all day to talk next Tuesday."

"Oh no!" Connie got to her feet quickly, "I haven't even given you the full tour yet." she motioned for Kate to follow after her, "I'll give you a brief run down on the shelving system here."

"That won't be necessary, Connie," The deep timbre of his voice echoed in the room. Leaning with his back against one of the shelves was the Prince of Gotham himself. "I can show Miss Matthews how to get around."

"Thank you, Mister Wayne," the older woman smiled and stopped in front of him, patting his shoulder lightly.

"Anytime, Connie," Bruce flashed her a warm smile and led her to the elevator, "I will see you next week, you sweet thing."

Kate didn't follow after them, instead, she turned and began examining the shelves by herself. They appeared to be in some form of alphabetical order, first by topic and then by name. It seemed to be more of a library on everyone that lived in Gotham city. Kate's slender fingers ran over several different files before she moved into the row where local crimes were listed. It wasn't long before she found the folder with her father's name on it.

"Mister Fox explained to me that you hold a degree in criminal justice, I should have expected you to end up in this isle," Bruce had appeared out of nowhere, interrupting her just as she prepared to pull the folder out of its place.

"Yes, I do have a degree in criminal justice," answered Kate. "Are the shelves organized by topic and then alphabetized by name?"

"Yes they are. You're in the crime section, which is the largest section in your archives, next to Wayne Enterprises' yearly records," Bruce explained, a grin appearing on his handsome features. "Everything regarding Wayne Enterprises will be under the 'W's'."

"I assume so," Kate's response was short and she turned her back to him, her fingers gliding over another row of folders. "Is that all you wanted to discuss, Mister Wayne? I have an office to settle in to and many papers to organize."

"There is one more thing," when she had her back towards him, he reached out and tucked the white tag belonging to her shirt out of sight. He drew his hands away from her, but not before his fingers had brushed across the strange, white scars that peeked out from her shirt. "When I return from my business trip, would you join me for lunch at my estate?"

Kate's hand shot to the back of her neck and she rubbed the skin there. She rarely wore her hair up, mainly because of the attention that was brought to the jagged scars that stretched around "Mister Wayne, if this is an attempt for you to apologize, I would suggest that you try flowers or something different. Asking me to have dinner with you is not quite the apology that I am looking for," there was no look of amusement on her face, just one of annoyance. It was starting to become a common look on her face whenever she was around him, and he had only seen her twice.

"Very well, Miss Matthews," Bruce ran a free hand through his dark hair and then shoved it into his pocket. "What is your favorite flower?"

Kate tossed him a rare smile, "That, Mister Wayne, is something that you will have to figure out on your own."

"You like games, don't you?" A wide grin had appeared on Bruce's face and his brown eyes appraised the pleased look on her face. "You have a lovely smile."

"Thank you," the smile immediately faded and she walked past him, disappearing into the office a moment later. "Enjoy your business trip."

"Miss Matthews-" Bruce never finished his last question, the loud slam of her office door signaled that she was done speaking to him. He chuckled and shook his head, walking to the elevator in silence. When he was safe within the confines of the metal box, Bruce retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number of his favorite florist. "Misty? It's Bruce Wayne. I need to place an order for a single white rose, which needs to be delivered to Wayne Tower by ten." There was a pause and the dark haired man smiled widely, "It's for a woman named Kate Matthews. She'll be expecting you."

When Bruce ended the conversation, his handsome features were accentuated by a wide smile. To say that Kate Matthews had peaked his interest was an understatement. His hands slid back into his pockets and he slipped out of the elevator, walked past the beautiful receptionist, and out into the fall air of Gotham.

It was the first time that Bruce was actually disappointed that his other duties called him away from his false life. Hopefully, Batman could finish his business quickly and give Bruce Wayne a free weekend to chase after a beautiful employee. A break from being Gotham's savior couldn't hurt.

_ You're lying to yourself if you believe that. _Bruce sighed and got into his vehicle, speeding away from Wayne Tower without another thought.

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Once again, thank you so much for reading this! I figured I would start to allude towards Kate's father, who will also be making an appearance in the near future. Batman will be making an appearance in the next chapter, along with Kate, and a bucket load of danger (Yay!). The feedback that I was given really gave me that extra confidence that I needed to keep going. Thank you so much for the reviews :)


	3. Chapter Three: Curiosity Killed the Cat

So, after several days, I finally finished typing this up :) I appreciate the reviews and I am really glad you liked it. As promised, there's a little Batman action in here. Not much, but enough to hopefully keep you interested.

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It had been three days since Kate had seen Bruce. While distance usually put a damper on how often one could bother someone, it seemed that distance had absolutely no hold on Bruce Wayne. Every morning, a flower appeared on Kate's desk.

On Wednesday, a white rose.

On Thursday, a vibrant tiger lily.

On Friday, an orchid.

Each day, Kate would openly glare at the flower before leaning over and enjoying the fresh scent. Her enjoyment was always brief, and when she was finished, she deposited both the vase and the flower in the waste bin. She had no time to worry about Bruce Wayne, her job had become personal the moment she had realized that she had access to almost every piece of information in the city.

It was nearly ten o'clock at night when a folder, one that Kate was not supposed to see, crossed her desk. A post-it note was stuck to the front of it with Bruce Wayne's name scrawled over it. The name beneath it was a name that Kate had put behind her years ago. Katherine Marcus.

What did Bruce Wayne want to know about Katherine Marcus? What was so interesting about _her_? At first, fury had boiled up within Kate, but a moment later, Kate realized that he could very well not realize that Kate Matthews and Katherine Marcus were the same person. The photograph inside the folder was a few years old, and at the time, Kate had been sporting short, blonde hair, two nose rings, and several eyebrow rings.

Kate Matthews was a completely different person. She was beautiful, smart, and she knew, from experience, how to deal almost anything thrown at her. The only thing this job was going to bring Kate was closure, and with the thousands of files in her department, she had enough information to take down more than half of the men who followed her father.

The photo wasn't the only thing in the folder, but Kate refused to read about her past. The things that had happened to Katherine Marcus meant nothing to her. It had taken years to recover and create a new, brighter future. Kate was not about to let Bruce Wayne ruin the life she had created for herself. When she closed the folder, a plan was set in her mind; come Monday morning, she would confront Bruce and ask him what he wanted with the Marcus family.

Living in The Narrows meant that Kate needed to be smart about which path she traveled. However, her usual walk down the road had been compromised after an explosion took out one of the bars. In doing so, that safest route to her home had been blocked off. Now, Kate had to travel through several alleyways with little or no lighting.

When she stepped into the train, her eyes flitted around until she was sure that she was alone. Her hand slipped into her purse and wrapped around the cool, smooth metal of her handgun. Katherine Marcus was not afraid to shoot anyone. The train came to a stop a few moments later, and she stood, stepped out of the train, and shoved the gun into the waistband of her skirt. Her shirt was completely soaked and she carefully concealed her gun, reminding herself to be careful.

As she made her way towards her apartment, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. A shadow was continually darting behind her, and after a garbage can fell over, she went on high alert. Even in heels, Kate was able to run and move faster than the average woman. Within seconds, she had turned sharply and taken cover behind a large dumpster. Gun drawn and hands steady, Kate slowly peered around the corner of the dumpster. The rain and dim light made her squint, and once again, a shadow moved in the darkness.

Kate rose up from her crouched position and raised her gun. "Come out," Kate growled, encouraging her stalker to come closer.

Silence settled in the alley and Kate closed her eyes, listening to the rain come down. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. After several minutes, Kate started to lower her arms, but a moment later, Kate was blindsided. The gun clattered to the ground and she was slammed into the wall. Her hands went up defensively, but the hands of her attacker found her hair and slammed her forehead into the dumpster.

A pained cry fell out of her mouth, but Kate didn't give up. Pain exploded behind her eyes and she pushed herself away from the dumpster and back into her attacker. The unexpected fight had the man backpedaling, and Kate saw her chance. She whirled around, drew her right arm back, and snapped her fist into his face.

She heard him groan, but she refused to stop. She leaped forward, one hand gripping the man's collar and yanking him forward. While he made a grab at her face, Kate thrust her knee up into his groin. Just as she was preparing to place another punch against his face, her attacker was ripped away from her. She heard a scream and a loud thud before everything went silent.

Kate's eyes were wide and she scrambled for her gun, her trembling hands grasping the slippery metal. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and warm blood oozed down her face. Her arms were raised, although they felt like jelly, and she took a deep breath before moving into the darkness. She was disoriented, and when she spotted something moving in the shadows, she aimed her gun and pulled the trigger. Katherine Marcus never missed, and she had hit her target dead on.

However, the masked man that tackled her seemed to be completely unharmed. She was disarmed in mere seconds, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth and a strong arm tightened around her arms, effectively holding her still. "I'm not going to hurt you, just take a deep breath and relax."

Kate refused to do what she was told. She wriggled around and then drew her arm forward and then back, her elbow lodging between two thick plates. If Kate was right, she had just successfully elbowed either Kevlar or titanium plated armor. "Let me go!" she growled. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and when he finally let her go, she staggered forward. "Give me my gun back," she demanded.

"Not until you can promise that you won't shoot me again," her gun had been thrown behind him, she guessed, and if there was more light, perhaps she could have made a run for it. "You're better off unarmed at the moment, it would seem." He motioned one gloved hand at her forehead.

Kate pressed her fingers to the open cut and she winced, a petulant look covering her pain a moment later. "I'm fine," she snapped. "I have band-aids a home."

"That isn't something a Hello Kitty band-aid can fix," he commented dryly. "Haven't you ever heard the term 'curiosity killed the cat', Miss Marcus?"

"Who are you?" Kate snarled, ice blue optics meeting with the blackness behind the mask. "I was going home, not exploring the streets. I am also very much alive at this moment."

"I'm Batman," his voice came out in a low, gravely sound. It almost sounded like he had a cold, like his voice was distorted. "And you should have started running, instead of waiting to see what had happened to that scumbag."

There was a long pause before Kate spoke, "I think the mask says everything," she replied coolly. "How do you know my name?"

"I do my research, Katherine," he answered, his gravelly voice echoing off the walls of the alley. He disappeared into the blackness for a moment and then he returned, Kate's attacker held up in the air by his collar, the dim light in the alley casting over him. "Do you know this man?"

Her attacker was tall and well built, and he looked like any other ordinary man aside from the long scar running down his face, a scar with a jagged edge that matched the ones she had. Kate stiffened and shook her head, "No idea," she answered.

Plastic ties were fastened around the man's wrists and she watched as Batman dropped him to the ground. A window was thrown open by someone on one of the upper floors and light spilled out into the alleyway. It was at that moment that Kate got a good look at the masked man who had saved her.

He was tall and broad shouldered, but the black mask that covered almost every inch of his face hid any and all possible clues as to his identity. His eyes looked black, hidden in the shadows of paint and darkness. Overall, he was a mystery.

"You have quite the arsenal of weapons there," Kate commented, nodding her head at his utility belt. She was almost certain that he was hiding more weapons beneath his cape, but she couldn't be sure.

"You should see my car," a smirk rolled across his lips, and for a moment, Kate paused. There was something familiar in that smirk, it was recognizable.

A smart comment formed in Kate's head, but just as she was about to say it, she felt the stinging pain in her forehead. The rush of adrenaline to her body had made her forget about the pain, but now it crashed against her in staggering waves. "I would like to go home," she murmured. She never asked for help, but when her knees buckled, she was in need of saving.

Batman stepped forward and caught her, placing one arm beneath her knees and the other under her back. "I've got you," he said reassuringly, holding her aloft as he began walking. He had taken the liberty of doing full research on both Katherine Marcus and Kate Matthews, and he knew exactly where she lived. Finding her place was simple, and he set her down outside her door while he jimmied the lock. Within seconds he had the door open and he was, once again, carrying the woozy woman inside.

Bruce, the man behind the mask glanced around, taking in the dingy walls and the peeling wallpaper. This was hardly the place that an employee of Wayne Enterprises should be living in; no one should have to live in such conditions. The apartment consisted of three rooms; a bathroom, a kitchen, and an open room where Kate had managed to fit a bed, a television set, and a couch. There was hardly enough room for him to move over to the bed, but he managed it.

"Katherine, I'm going to give you a something to help you sleep," he said, withdrawing a syringe.

"I don't like needles," Kate replied, "And you should call me Kate..." her head lolled to one side and she blinked, her ice blue eyes meeting with his before they disappeared behind her eyelids. "I am going to be the talk of the city. Having Batman in my house." She giggled, a girlish sound that Bruce heard very often. "Oh, where are my manners? I should get you something to drink..." Kate attempted to sit up, but she was gently pushed back down.

"Just rest," Bruce said, sliding the needle into her skin, pressing down on the plunger, and effectively sedating her. Once she was silent, Bruce pulled off his gloves and the mask, placing them on the coffee table. He sighed and dragged a hand through his dark hair, "What are you involved in?" His fingers gently brushed the wet strands of black hair away from her face. The wound on her forehead was nasty, but nothing he couldn't handle. With skilled hands, Bruce patched the wounds on her face and then got her out of her wet clothes.

Out of decency, Bruce kept his eyes averted. He didn't even take a closer look at her scars, despite is curiosity. When Kate was ducked snuggly in her bed, Bruce took the time to search her apartment. It came as a surprise to Bruce that Kate had very few possessions. There were three boxes in the corner of her kitchen, a painting hanging on the wall, a laptop on the kitchen counter and her closet held a meager amount of clothing. Bruce made a mental note to purchase something nice for her, and give her an extremely large raise. A stationary pad sat on the coffee table and Bruce picked up the pen beside it.

_I'll tell your boss to give you a raise and compensation for the ruined clothing_

_ - B._

With on final look at the woman on the bed, Bruce slid the mask on, concealing his face once more before turning out the light and disappeared from Kate's apartment.

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Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully, I will be able to update this over the weekend, but, as I am nearing the end of my school year, I have several finals to study for and many (many) papers to write!


	4. Chapter Four: Burned

**Thank you for reading! The reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I figured I would start alluding to which characters might be causing a problem for Kate ;) I've been swamped this week, so this chapter is a little shorter. The idea section of my brain has been virtually wiped clean, but it's starting to come back as the school year comes to an end.**

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When Bruce left Kate's apartment, he headed directly for the alleyway. Batman had other duties for the night, but it seemed that Kate Matthews was definitely in need of assistance. Long strides led him back to the place where he had left Kate's attacker. The man was stirring, a dazed look on his face. He was too well groomed to belong in The Narrows. "Get up," Bruce growled, his voice low, deadly. When the man lying on the ground groaned and did not comply, a gloved hand shot out and lifted him off the ground by the front of his shirt. "What do you want with her?"

The dark optics behind the mask bored into him, and finally, the attacker spoke, " The answer will cost you." A sneer crossed his face.

Within seconds, the man was shoved against the wall and his wallet was ripped from his front pocket. Bruce glanced over the contents and smirked, "Thomas, what do you want with Miss Marcus?" Perhaps it would be best to use her original name.

The smirk had fallen from Thomas' face the instant the masked man had uncovered his name. "I was hired to push her around."

"Who hired you?" he roared, the sound ripping out of his throat. His irritation was clear, but concern was embedded in his words. Without another thought, he released the front of Thomas' shirt and placed his hands around the man's throat. Imminent death had a way of changing people, as Bruce had learned.

"Alright!" Thomas said, his eyes wide. "I take my orders from Crane. Doctor Jonathan Crane."

Bruce was surprised. Jonathan Crane had succumbed to his insanity a lifetime ago, it seemed, was it possible for him to be intelligent and coherent enough to orchestrate some type of attack on Kate? Bruce had been under the impression that the danger was coming from her father, but it seemed it was not. "What does Doctor Crane want with her?"

"He wants her to suffer," Thomas said, "Katherine Marcus has unpaid debts. The Crane family takes that very seriously."

"A family of nuts, I'm sure," Bruce commented. "Tell Doctor Crane to stay away from her. I will be paying him a visit, very _very _soon." The threat was clear in his voice. If Kate was messed up with the likes of Jonathan Crane, then it was likely that she was in more trouble than she realized. The only thing that Jonathan Crane feared was Batman, and Bruce could make the time to pay the mad doctor a well deserved visit.

Silence settled in the alleyway, and with one more dark look, Bruce shoved Thomas away and then darted into the darkness, the jet-black fabric of his cape billowing behind him. Had this been the danger he had been warned about? An anonymous tip had been given to Commissioner Gordon that something strange was going on at Arkham Asylum, but Bruce had paid close attention to the area for several days, and nothing strange was occurring on the outside. The inside was another story, one which Batman would take care of.

Bruce was exhausted. The few nights that he had spent in The Narrows had left him with no clues, and several new wounds to nurse. Gotham's Dark Knight had saved no one, as there was no villainous activity in the vicinity. That was the only peculiar thing, the lack of crime.

_Don't dwell on it. That's a good thing, Bruce._ It took him a moment to convince himself to return to his home, and he did so. The first stop was made at the temporary Bat Cave - as Bruce liked to call it - so that he could change into his regular attire and return to his penthouse. Once Bruce had changed into his clothes, he slid into the sleek interior of his sports car and sped off into the night.

"Mister Wayne, you look rather disheveled," Alfred commented when Bruce walked into the manor, a wry smile on the older man's lips. "You've been gone for several days now, how was your trip?"

"It was enlightening, Alfred," Bruce admitted, "You remember my newest employee, Kate Matthews?"

"Why yes, Sir, I do recall you ranting about how she called you a rather vulgar name," Alfred replied. "Is she coming over tomorrow? Shall I make lunch for three?"

"Her name is Katherine Marcus and I believe she's in trouble," Bruce said, his tone grave. "As much as I would like to dislike her, she's involved with Doctor Crane, and you know what that means."

"Is she in danger, Sir?" Genuine concern flitted across Alfred's weathered features.

"I am unaware of the circumstances, at the moment," Bruce finally said, "But she was attacked earlier this evening, and the man who did so told me that she has several debts to pay. Alfred, does Doctor Crane have any family members?"

"He has a dead brother, Cameron Crane," Alfred confirmed. "I received your message and pulled all of the files involving the Crane family, but I could not find a file on Katherine Marcus. It was pulled and sent to your office, but I did not find it."

"Did you also pull the file on Kate Matthews?" Bruce questioned, his dark eyebrows furrowed. He would track down the lost file when he returned to Wayne Towers. "The information that Lucius gave me only goes back five years, which I assume is when she changed her name from Marcus to Matthews."

"It is nearly one in the morning, Sir, perhaps it would be best if you got some rest," Alfred coaxed. "I will procure the information that you require while you sleep."

"That is not necessary, Alfred," assured Bruce. "I will be going into the archives tomorrow, Kate is currently indisposed and then I will have all the unsupervised time that I need in the building." Kate was not scheduled to work weekends, and Bruce had sent her an email saying that she would have the entire week off.

"Very well, Sir," Alfred replied. The elderly man flashed on final smile before disappearing.

A smile crossed over Bruce's features and he headed for his bedroom, unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt as he walked. To his surprise, there was a lump on his bed and he frowned. Had he invited someone over to spend the night? Why had Alfred not mentioned this to him?

"I was waiting for you," the voice was familiar, and Bruce blinked when Rachel Dawes' rose up from his bed and looked at him. It had been a year since Harvey Dent had died, and the effects of his death were still clear on her face. The dark circles under her eyes told Bruce a story of sleepless nights and the emotionless expression on her face meant that she was still torn up inside.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Bruce's tone was gentle and when she walked over to him, he pulled her into a warm embrace. "Are you okay?" His second question came out in a whisper.

Her bitter laughter filled the room for a brief second and she let her head rest on his shoulder. "No, Bruce, I am not okay," she whispered. "I don't want to live without him, but I have to. It isn't fair."

When she stepped away from him, Bruce caught her arm in his hand and gently ran his finger over the scar lying over her wrist. "You promised me that you would never do this again," he murmured. "You can live without Dent, and you have. What would happen to the criminals in Gotham if you weren't the District Attorney?" Rachel had been given Dent's position after he had died, and she was still just as passionate as she had always been when it came to bringing criminals to justice. Immediately after Dent's death, Rachel had tried to commit suicide, and Bruce had intervened.

"Bruce," Rachel sighed and pulled her arm out of his grip. Tears welled up inside her eyes and she let her head fall forward, rounding her shoulders as she did so. "I'm so tired," she cried.

A pained expression darted over the billionaire's handsome features and he scooped her up into his arms and brought her over to the bed. "You're exhausted, Rachel," he said softly as he laid her down. "Just rest, I'll be right here."

Rachel complied and she let her eyes fall shut, her dark lashes covered with crystal tears. Bruce laid down beside her and wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her close. This was not the first time Bruce had spent the night with her, and it looked like it would not be the last. There was no longer that love between them, their attraction to one another had been destroyed after the death of Harvey Dent, and Bruce had promised himself that he would not get involved with her again.

Rachel Dawes was a friend, nothing more. It was better for her and better for Bruce that way. No one should be involved with Batman, in the end, they would only get hurt. All Bruce had wanted was to save the woman he loved. Now, he was going to try and save the newest woman in his life, but at what risk?

Eventually, Bruce would get too close to someone, and he would get burned.

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**I hope you liked that! I figured that I needed to lay out the relationship between Bruce and Rachel, as she will be appearing in this fic as well. Thank you so much for reading this and reviewing it! :) Hopefully I'll have another chapter by tomorrow night (Wednesday at the latest)!**


	5. Chapter Five: Who?

**Here's the next addition (and I finished it, as promised). I am normally extremely bad at updating things in general, and I am trying my best to get this written before I start writing my next book in June. When I start writing that, it becomes my first priority, and I can't promise that I will be able to write both my book and this fic at the same time. However, I am going to try, because I love to write, and I'm really good at procrastinating! :)**

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The dull, throbbing pain in Kate's head, which had been accompanied by dizziness, had forced her to stay in bed for the entire weekend. She was still reeling from her encounter with Gotham's Dark Knight. Lying to him had been the worst part of her night, because she knew that he was only trying to help. There had been something odd about the entire encounter though, and Kate was determined to find out what it was. It was Monday morning, and Kate ignored Bruce Wayne's instructions for her to enjoy a day off. Her hands were tracing over the elegant scrawl that Batman had left on her stationary.

_I'll tell your boss to give you a raise and compensation for the ruined clothing._

_ -B_

Batman. Bruce. It was the same letter. Could it be the same person? The handwriting was almost identical. Kate had been given an advance on her first day, and her check had been signed by Bruce Wayne, in that same, elegant scrawl.

_That isn't possible._ Kat reasoned. With the shake of her head, she finally got out of bed. Her head was still aching, but it was Monday, and Kate needed to get to the bottom of her situation. While the email that Bruce had sent her stated that she should enjoy her day off, she was going to be doing anything but that. It was time for her to pay a visit to Jonathan Crane.

Kate took her time, but when her cell phone went off, she frowned and answered it. "Hello?"

"Miss Matthews?" It was Lucius Fox. How did he know her personal cell number?  
"Hello, Mister Fox, what can I do for you?" She asked politely, curious as to why he was calling her.

"I just wanted to wish you a nice day and to make sure that you knew that you have nothing to worry about today," he told her. "Mister Wayne is taking care of everything, but I wanted to ask you if he has permission to go into your office."

Kate was stunned, "Why does he want to go into my office?" she asked curiously. "I was under the impression that Mister Wayne rarely went down to Archives."

"He is working on a project-" Kate pressed the 'end' button and hung up on him. What was Bruce Wayne doing in Archives? After Kate had seen the file on her old life, she had been suspicious of Bruce, and now she had a reason to be. He was snooping around in her life, it would seem, and she would not have it. Hastily, Kate retrieved a loose, black shirt and yanked it on over her head. She shimmied into a pair of jeans, fastened her watch around her wrist and stumbled into the bathroom.

Her bright blue eyes scanned over the disheveled reflection in the mirror. Her black hair was wild and curly, cascading down her back like a dark waterfall. A sigh was drawn from her lips and she pulled her hair away from her face, tying it back. Nothing could be done about the cuts and bruises on her face, so she promptly ignored them and brushed her teeth. Frankly, Kate did not care about what Bruce Wayne thought of her appearance.

It took Kate five more minutes to get ready. Once she had her bag, with the folder about Katherine Marcus tucked safely inside, and her tennis shoes on, she was walking out the door. Her pace was brisk, and the impatient look on her face while she rode the train to Wayne Tower kept people away from her. It was hardly a good morning for her. It was going to be a long day for both Kate Andrews and Katherine Marcus.

The ride on the train was long, and by the time it was over, Kate's irritation had grown, as had her curiosity. What did Bruce Wayne want with her? It was understandable for him to have a background check ran on her, but to nose into her work space and continue to do 'research'? That was pushing it. When Kate strode into Wayne tower, she ignored the strange, speculative look that the blonde receptionist shot her, and jammed her fingers against the down arrow.

"He's a pretentious asshole," Kate insisted, talking aloud while she was alone in the elevator. She was holding the folder tightly in her hands. Her stomach was twisting itself in knots, and the feeling made her uneasy. Five minutes ago, she had been irritated, now, she was anxious. "Just don't let him get under your skin, Kate. Katherine wouldn't." Sometimes, when her nerves got the best of her, Kate had to remind herself that at one point in her life, she wasn't so kind and gentle.

The elevator dinged and Kate shut her eyes, taking a deep breath before stepping into Archives. The doors of the elevator slid shut behind her. Kate's blue eyes wandered over the interior of the room before she started walking down a row of shelves, her eyes locked on the open door of the office. He was in there, she was sure of it.

Indeed, Bruce Wayne was sitting at her desk, a stack of files spread out before him. When the sound of Kate's impatient sigh interrupted him, he glanced up. "Miss Matthews, I thought I gave you the day off." He reached up and removed the glasses perched on his nose, on dark brow raised. His handsome features had Kate pausing for a brief moment, taking her aback.

_All of the handsome men are either gay, taken, or complete assholes. He falls under the last category._ "I didn't realize you were giving me the day off so you could snoop around in my department," Kate replied coolly. "Is there anything I can help you with, Mister Wayne?" Kate shot him a patronizing smile and she marched over to the desk and scooped up several of the files. "What do we have here?" She shook her head and smirked, "Elite Industries, Richard Marcus, and Jonathan Crane. It looks like you're missing on, though." Kate set the files back down atop the pile and threw the folder about Katherine Marcus onto the desk, slapping it with her hand to emphasize her point. "This came across my desk last night, Mister Wayne."

"You were not supposed to see that," Bruce's dark eyes met with hers. He held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity before he spoke again, "Katherine, whatever you are involved with, I can help you."

"My name is Kate," she snapped back, indignation lighting up her eyes. "And what help could you offer me, Mister Wayne?"

"I have friends," Bruce said calmly.

"Friends like Batman?" Kate inquired. She watched his expression closely, wanting to see if she would get a reaction.

"Batman?" Bruce chuckled and rolled his chestnut colored eyes. "Why would I be friends with that loon? I would never associate myself with a vigilante." He cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms behind his head. "Kate, I like to know exactly what my employees are involved in. If you are in danger, I am obligated to keep you safe."

"I am in no danger, _Bruce_," Kate stressed his first name, glaring at him in annoyance. "Jonathan Crane is an old acquaintance, as is his family."

"The last time I heard anything about Jonathan Crane, I was told that he had gone completely insane," Bruce commented. "Do you know Rachel Dawes? Gotham's district attorney? She's had several not so enjoyable encounters with him."

"I do know Rachel, we went to college together," Kate replied, shocking Bruce. "Doctor Crane and I go back, he knows Katherine Marcus and he won't hurt her."

"He might not hurt her, but he isn't afraid to hurt Kate Matthews." The gentleness in his tone startled Kate and she watched him for a moment. Was he genuinely worried about her?

"I know."

"Then don't go," Bruce pleaded. "Don't go anywhere near Arkham Asylum."

_What is he doing? He doesn't even know me well enough to be me. He can't expect me to actually agree to this._ Kate sighed and shook her head, "Mister Wayne, my head is bothering me and I believe it is time for me to return home." It was the best excuse she could find. It was a necessity for her to speak with Jonathan Crane.

"Kate," his tone changed from worried to warning in an instant. "Don't do anything stupid. Is that understood?"

"Completely, Mister Wayne," Kate said formally. "Have an enjoyable day, Sir. Make sure that those files are put back in the correct place."

"Miss Matthews, one more thing," Bruce got up from his seat and placed his hand at the small of her back, escorting her to the elevator. "My butler, Alfred, will be waiting to take you back to your place. You shouldn't be traveling alone in case you get dizzy or sick."

"Your concern and help is not needed, nor is it wanted, Mister Wayne," Kate said coldly. "I am capable of getting myself home."

"You wound me, Miss Matthews. Please, take the offered ride so that I know you have returned home safely." Was he being sincere? It sounded like it, but he was a smooth talker, with the ability to trick people into things that they originally did not desire.

"Very well," Kate did not bother arguing further. She would let his stupid butler give her a ride home, and then, when she was free of his presence, she would meet with Doctor Crane. "Goodbye, Bruce." She stepped away from him and into the elevator, her eyes meeting with his briefly before she looked away.

"Take care of yourself, Kate," Bruce murmured, offering her a smile just as the elevator doors slid shut.

"You have nerve, Bruce Wayne," Kate hissed angrily at the doors, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just because you tell me to stay away doesn't mean that I will." Perhaps she should have taunted him, made him angry. After all, he had made her angry. An eye for an eye, wasn't that how the phrase went?

A loud ding announced that Kate had reached the lobby of Wayne Tower and she headed directly for the door, not bothering to look for her supposed escort. An elderly gentleman waved at her and she groaned when she noticed the sleek, sporty vehicle behind him. "Alfred?" It was obvious that the vehicle belonged to Bruce Wayne. The personalized license plates (which read '31NH0T') screamed over confident jerk.

"Hello Miss Matthews," the white haired man smiled softly and opened the door for her. "Mister Wayne instructed me to take you home."

"Thank you, Alfred," Kate offered him a smile and then pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Mister Wayne did not inform me that he had such a pleasant butler."

"Oh, Miss Matthews, you are too kind," Alfred blushed and winked at her.

"Call me Kate," The smile on her lips faded moments later, when a black sedan pulled up behind Bruce's vehicle. She recognized it on spot and she glanced to the man driving the vehicle, the crazy grin on his face identifying him as Jonathan Crane.

"Mister Wayne, we have-" Alfred had pulled out his phone and Kate's eyes widened, her hand shooting out and catching Alfred in the jaw. It was a hard enough blow to knock him out, and Kate picked up the phone. She pushed the 'end' button and tossed it down next to Alfred's unconscious form.

Kate approached the sedan, a scowl on her lips. She opened the back door and slid inside, closing the door behind her. "What do you want, Jon?" she asked angrily. "You sent Thomas after me? Are you using my father's cronies as a way to take me out or to bring me in?"

"Jonathan didn't hire Thomas," Kate hadn't noticed that there was another passenger in the vehicle until he had spoken. The automatic locks on the door clicked shut.

"Who-" Kate barely got the first word out when the passenger turned and his face was illuminated. His familiar, emerald eyes bored into her, a triumphant grin on his sharp features. Kate looked out the window, saw Bruce come running out of the front doors, and slammed her fist against the glass of the window. The expression on her face had gone from furious to frantic.

"I did," the man spoke again, aimed his gun, and fired.

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**Oh, who is this mysterious shooter man? ^_^ Personally, I have no idea. You'll find out though, eventually. I really hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter Six: He Missed

**My apologies for the (semi?) late update. I have been swamped...and I have rewritten this chapter three times. I think I may have hit a small bump in the road, but I'm trying my best to get over it. All of the reviews are greatly appreciated, and, I have a response for one of the more recent ones concerning my OC. Yes, I did make Kate sound like she had a stick up her ass, I did that on purpose ( :D). Personally, I store several different characters in the back of my mind, and I pulled Kate out. She's beautiful, but her major drawback is her personality. She isn't always the most well liked person, but that's what I love about her!**

**Anyways, the last two chapters have been difficult for me, but hopefully, I'll be able to get out of this rut that I'm in, and beast out a few more interesting chapters. The end of the school year is approaching quickly, as is graduation, and I am quite nervous. I also have a plethora of college things that need to get straightened out, so this is a second priority, but I promise I won't disappear!**

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The bullet embedded into the soft upholstery of the backseat, inches away from Kate's face. Despite the close proximity of the bullet, Kate refused to move, or even blink. She was perfectly still, her expression passive.

"That was a warning shot, Katherine." As the car pulled away from the curb, the shadows hiding his face moved. Pale skin, beautiful emerald eyes, and sharp features were illuminated in the yellow light. "Next time, I won't miss."

"Cameron Crane," Kate tested the name. It had been seven years since she had seen him. Seven years since he had died. "What do you want?"

"You didn't even flinch," Cameron mused. "How interesting. I would have assumed that after our last encounter you would be completely frightened of me."

"A man who uses a knife instead of his bare hands is nothing more than a coward," Kate said, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Tell me what you want, or I'll call my friend and have him beat the answer out of you."

"Your friend?" Cameron scoffed and he set his gun down, running a hand through his dark hair. He was nearly identical to his brother, except for the deep scar jutting down the side of his face. Kate had given him that, in a fight that had resulted in his supposed death. "If you are referring to Batman, I doubt he could save you from the things that I have planned for you."

"What do you have planned for me?" Kate asked plainly, her blue eyes locking with his.

Silence was a language that both Kate and Cameron were fluent in, and he wasted no time in silencing his gloating. After a long pause, the car stopped, Cameron stepped out, and opened Kate's door. "Get out," he said. They had only been driving for a few minutes, and Kate briefly wondered where he had taken them.

Kate slid out of the vehicle and looked at him again. "Cameron, let's talk," her voice had softened, concern - not for herself, but for him - displayed on her face. They were on Pond Drive, a road that was only a few minutes away from Wayne Tower. It was an odd location, seeing as there was nothing there; a few buildings and an empty road.

Cameron smirked and closed the door behind her. "I have a better idea," he snaked his arm around her waist, pulled her close, and placed a kiss on her lips. His lips were not as soft as they had once been, but chapped, and rough.

She had always been his weakness, and now, Kate would use it against him. She kissed him back for a brief moment, and then, she brought her knee up, connecting it with his groin. If he still loved her, he would have been wounded emotionally. This was a different Cameron, the evil remains of a wonderful man.

Without hesitation, Cameron slammed his closed fist into her gut, catching her off guard. His breathing was labored and he grabbed her arm, twisting it tightly back and pinning her against the side of the car. "I knew you were going to do that, Kat," he whispered. "Did you really think that I still loved you after the things you did? You aren't as smart as I thought."

Kate hissed in a breath and went still, "You should be dead." She felt a warm hand slip beneath the fabric of her shirt, travel up the length of her back and over the raised scars that were there. "Don't touch those!" Panic spiked and Kate struggled, "Please, don't touch those." A hundred images flashed past her closed eyes, and she felt tears building up behind her eyelids.

"I can give you more, if you'd like," Cameron whispered in her ear, "You have a beautiful scream and I plan on hearing it one more time before I kill you."

"You'll have to deal with me first." That low, growling voice belonging to the masked vigilante was back, and he stood there, in the daylight, lips set in a straight line. "Did your father forget to teach you how to treat a lady?"

At the sound of the voice, Cameron turned around, and stepped away from Kate. In that moment, Kate brought her arm up and slammed it against the juncture between his neck and shoulder. She pulled the knife from the top pocket of his suit, flicked it open, and pressed it against his throat. "I'll give you some scars, you bastard," Kate hissed.

"Put it down," Batman growled. He had visibly tensed when she brought the knife out. "Katherine, put it down."

"Who are you to tell me that I can't kill him?" Kate hissed, her eyes narrowed.

"I won't ask you again," he responded flatly. "Release him."

A battle of wills ensued, and Kate glared back into the dark depths of his eyes. "No," she ground out.

Before Batman got the chance to take her down, gunshots erupted around them. Kate dropped to the ground and shoved Cameron away from her. Instinctively, Kate reached for the gun that she did not have. Seconds passed and the gunfire halted, allowing Kate the time to stand up and run behind the nearest dumpster. It seemed that dumpsters were more than abundant during the past week than they usually were.

Cameron was gone, back inside the car, no doubt. The sedan screeched away from the curb and Kate finally got a good look at the street. There were two, nondescript vehicles loitering on the opposite side of the street, windows down, revealing bald, tattooed, gun welding men. Members of the mob, Kate assumed, and when she caught the eye of one of the men, the windows shot up and the two cars disappeared from the road.

"What the hell?" Kate was tense, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. The Crane brothers were gone, and the vehicles were gone, leaving Kate alone to figure out what had just happened.

Batman was perched above her, crouched down on the edge of a window ledge. "What's the story between you and Cameron Crane?"

Kate whirled around, tilting her head back slightly so she could see him. "I used to be friends with the family," she answered stiffly.

"And because of that, he hates you?" He chuckled, shook his head, and stepped off the ledge, dropping to the ground. "Members of the mob fire at them and then run like scared children when they see you, Kate."

"You already know why they do that," Kate snapped, irritation flitted across her face. "It isn't me that they run from, but you." She paused briefly, and contemplated something. "I thought Batman only came out at night."

"I'm willing to make an exception," he murmured. "Your boss is worried about you, perhaps you should return to work, apologize to the man you hit, and then let Mister Wayne take care of you."

Kate huffed and rolled her eyes. "Katherine Marcus doesn't need help." Her eyes narrowed briefly at the mention of Bruce and she crossed her arms over her chest in an infantile gesture. She also did not want to see her boss. "Bruce Wayne and I do not get along."

"Kate Matthews does," Batman replied. "And perhaps, if you give Mister Wayne a chance to redeem himself, he might prove you wrong. Also, don't be so judgmental. Bruce Wayne is just as human as the next person. "

"Who are you?" Kate asked softly, her eyes searching his dark eyes. With the mask, it was nearly impossible to identify him, and Kate desperately wanted to know.

"A friend." A smile threatened to creep past his lips. He turned, and darted down the street, disappearing behind the corner quickly. The mask came off the second Bruce was inside his sleek sports car. It had been easy to track Kate, but it had also taken longer than he had expected. Alfred had parked two blocks away from the spot where Jonathan Crane had stopped. "Alfred, if she doesn't call within five minutes, we will pick her up."

"Yes, Mister Wayne," Alfred murmured. "I will drop you and Miss Matthews at your penthouse. Place your suit in the trunk and I will take care of it."

Kate called within two minutes. "Mister Wayne, I am on Pond Drive. It's a few minutes away from Wayne Tower. Is it possible for you to pick me up?"

"Immediately," Bruce's tone was grim, and he quickly yanked a cotton t-shirt over his head. He closed the small trunk of the vehicle, climbed back into it, and closed the door. "Don't go anywhere."

"I won't," It was difficult to tell if Kate was lying, at least, it was to Bruce. "Just hurry."

She was pacing near a dumpster, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her head shot up when his car came into view. Alfred put the car into park, slipped out, walked around to the other side, and held the door open for her. "Miss Matthews."

"Get inside," Bruce commanded, leaning across the backseat slightly so she could see the petulant look in his eyes. "Next time I tell you to do something, Miss Matthews, I expect you to listen."

Kate glared at him as she climbed inside, murmuring an apology to Alfred as she did so. "I am not a child, Mister Wayne. Do you do this for all of your employees?"

"You are my responsibility, Kate," Bruce snapped. When the door was shut and the vehicle in motion, Bruce placed his hand over hers. It was warm, rough, and calloused. For a billionaire who didn't do anything, he seemed to have hands that disproved his laziness.

"No, I am not," Kate said tersely. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and stared out the window.

"Kate, what are you involved in?" He finally asked. "As your boss, I need to know if you are going to be a danger to my company."

"It's nothing." Kate glanced back at him, her eyes locking with his. "Those guys that grabbed me were just messing around. They were old college buddies of mine, and they were drunk." An eye roll was added to the lie, a vain attempt to conceal it.

Bruce wasn't sure what to do. It was obvious that she did not trust him. "Katherine, may I call you that?"

"You may use whatever name you would like, Mister Wayne," answered Kate.

The young man sighed and dragged his fingers through his dark hair, "Kate, I believe we got off on the wrong foot."

"I believe that is quite an understatement," Kate murmured, turning slightly in his direction. "But mostly my fault. I judged you harshly."

"I didn't really help my case," Bruce commented, remembering, quite clearly, that he had spent more time looking her over than actually speaking.

"It's been a bad week," Kate agreed, nodding briefly. "I was expecting you to fire me, but I guessed that after I had passed your attractiveness test, I was in the safe zone."

"Attractiveness test?" A dark eyebrow shot up questioningly. "I should have fired you. What you said was quite rude, and while your credentials were quite impressive, I could have found someone else."

"You're a liar," Kate teased, a smile perking up her face. "It doesn't take a genius to know that you employee attractive young women or women that are motherly in nature." Kate absently brushed a stray piece of black hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Are you smiling, Miss Matthews?" It was his turn to poke fun at her, and he jumped on the opportunity. He reached out, grasped her chin between his thumb and pointer finger, and tilted her head up slightly. Her skin was smooth beneath his fingers, and he was half tempted to stroke her cheek with his free hand.

Kate stilled at his touch and the smile melted off of her face. He was touching her. "What...is it?" she asked quietly, her heart hammering in her chest. She didn't like the contact at all, and she twisted her head away, her eyes focusing on the floor.

"I was just checking to see if that smile was real," he told her. Her reaction had not gone unnoticed, and Bruce pursed his lips, his curiosity getting the better of him. He wanted to know what she was going through, but he had a feeling that it was going to take time for him to get the answers he needed. For this woman, it seemed that trust was important. "Miss Matthews, I understand that Mister Fox discussed the different aspects of your job with you, correct?"

"He did, Mister Wayne," Kate said in response. He wanted to talk business with her? The sudden topic change came as a surprise to her.

"I know you've only been here for a week, but I am working on a very important business project and I could use someone with your expertise. Your support with a merger between Wayne Enterprises and Elite Industries would also be extremely helpful." All of it was a lie, of course, but Bruce saw no other way to keep her safe. "It will take some time, and most of it will be spent at my penthouse. You'll be starting fairly early and I can't be sure when we'll be finished."

"Sir, with all due respect, but are you sure I should be logging so many hours?" Kate asked, suspicious of his intentions. "My normal hours are ten to six and-" she was cut off by the wave of the billionaire's hand.

"I'll see to it that we take breaks in between planning sessions," Bruce promised. "You'll start at seven, I can arrange for Alfred to pick you up and then take you back home."

"Will we be working on that today, Mister Wayne?" Kate inquired. They had pulled up beside a large, majestic building, which, Kate guessed, housed Bruce Wayne. "Or are we embarking on the apology meal you invited me on?"

"Today is your day off, and I am going to make sure that you enjoy it," he motioned to her forehead as he spoke. "You should also rest. How did you come across that horrible bruise?"

"I fell down the stairs," Kate answered dryly, a secretive smirk appearing. "You changed your clothes, Mister Wayne."

"Indeed." Bruce had been careless. Both suits were shoved into the trunk. It had been easier to pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, less buttons, less work. "We're here. This is my semi-permanent home. Wayne Manor should be completed next week, so the location of our meetings shall move as well."

Now they were 'meetings'? Kate slowly climbed out of the car. "As much as I love working, I am not sure if I am the ideal person for the agreement you want to make."

"Katherine," Bruce grinned, coming over to her side, "You are, by far, the most ideal person for what I have planned."

Events were happening in such quick succession that Kate had no idea what to expect. In the past week, she had argued and insulted her boss, been attacked, grabbed by a psychopathic enemy, and invited to do what Mr. Wayne's business manager could do. Her life was spinning erratically, and she was waiting, patiently, for things to come to a screeching stop.

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**So, I have no idea when I'll be able to update this next. Hopefully, there will be something by Friday. If not, then there will be an update on Saturday. Thank y****ou so much for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate the feedback :)**


	7. Chapter Seven: A Proposal

**So, I've been pretty busy over the last week. I'm sorry! I have the day off tomorrow, so there 'might' be another update, but I'm graduating this Friday, and I've been spending more time with my friends and family lately. While I can't promise that I'll have an update by tomorrow, I can assure you that there will be one by the end of the week :D This next chapter revolves around Kate and Bruce getting to know each other and spending time together. Thank you, again, for reading this! I appreciate the feedback :)**

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Bruce wore a content smile as he led Kate into the building. He placed his hand on the small of her back and escorted her into the elevator, keeping his touch on her back light and nearly unnoticeable. It seemed that her back was a sensitive area, and Bruce was beyond curious. "This time, I'll hit the buttons," he teased, grinning widely as he pressed his finger against the button that would take them to his current home.

"You were quite annoyed, weren't you, Mister Wayne?" Kate murmured back, smiling briefly. She was relieved when his hand moved away from her back. Despite the clothing hiding her scars, any contact with them made Kate uneasy, especially when it was a man. Bruce Wayne had yet to earn her trust, which meant that being professional, and controlling her temper, would be important. "The past is the past, tell me more about this project you want my help with."

"Let's have a drink first, I believe your first week with Wayne Enterprises has been fairly stressful," Bruce replied as he ushered out of the elevator, and into the main entrance of his penthouse. To say it was magnificent was an understatement. Kate was sure that Bruce Wayne was handing over a ridiculous sum of money for the pristine, modernized suite. "There are two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, a study, and a dining hall. You may stay in the guest room, if things get drawn out and you find yourself too exhausted to return home." It was Bruce's plan to make sure that she remained there, at least until he had figured out what type of danger she was in.

"Sir, that is highly unprofessional, and as tempting as it is to spend the night with you, I must refrain," Kate told him.

"Kate, please, call me Bruce," he implored, turning his brown eyes on her. "You're in my home, I believe the formality can be dropped. People usually referred to my father as Mister Wayne, anyways."

"Bruce, I'll be perfectly fine at my own home during the night," Kate said directly. "I'm sure Alfred can drive me home safely, and in the morning, I can take the train to your penthouse."

"Nonsense," Bruce said quickly. "Alfred will fetch you in the morning. There is no reason to waste your money riding the train."

Her soft laughter caught him off guard, "The Train is free, Bruce."

"You are foiling all of my ill-planned attempts to keep you here, Kate," Bruce scolded gently, smiling as he dragged his fingers through his hair, and led out of the spacious entry way. The living room was their first stop, and Bruce motioned for his companion to find a place to sit. "Do you have any preference to the drink?"

"Simple is nice," Kate responded as she took a seat on a plush, leather chair. She could have opted for the large couch, but she thought that putting some distance between herself and Bruce might be a wise decision. "Do you think drinking before work is a good idea?"

"I rarely do work while sober," Bruce said with a grin. "I only kid, Kate. A little alcohol loosens people up, does it not?"

"Loose lips sink ships," she muttered dryly. "I'll have whatever you have." His last insinuation was not one that Kate looked kindly upon. The last thing she desired was to be 'loose' around Bruce Wayne.

When he disappeared into the depths of his home, Kate kicked off her shoes and buried her feet into the thick, beige carpet beneath them. Without the sometimes prying eyes of her boss, she let herself sink into the comforting cushions of the chair, a quiet sight slipping past her lips. The silent abode belonging to Bruce Wayne reminded her that she rarely had a moment of peace in her own apartment. Perhaps spending several nights in his home would be beneficial.

"Here we are, Katherine," Bruce returned, and placed a crystal glass on the table before her. He sat on the couch, making his attire of jeans and a t-shirt look business-like. "A toast to our future?"

"That's rather ambiguous, Bruce," Kate reprimanded. "I am more apt to believe we are toasting towards this future business proposal, are we not?"

"You make things quite difficult," Bruce summed up, raising his glass. "To our future, Katherine."

"Call me Kate," her glass joined his in the air, and she offered him a tense smile before the crystal glass met her lips, and she drained it.

Bruce waited several moments before setting his glass down and posing the question that had been nagging at him, "You sounded distressed on the phone. Those two men that grabbed you, they weren't your friends from college."

"Bruce, I thought you wanted to talk business?" Kate asked coldly. "My personal life is, quite frankly, none of your business."

"Like I said before, as an employee of Wayne Enterprises, I have a right to know what you are doing and if you are a danger to my company," he reiterated.

"I should be leaving," Kate stood up abruptly. "Thank you for the drink, Mister Wayne."

"Kate," Bruce rose up to his feet and reached out, grasping her elbow. "Why don't we get to know each other better?"

"First rule, do not touch me," Kate said coldly. "You may touch my hands, but that is it."

Bruce frowned, but nodded. "I understand, but may I ask why?" He sat back down, noticing her relief after he had removed his hand.

"Touching is meant for lovers and good friends," Kate answered. "We are neither of those."

A smirk crossed Bruce's lips at the thought of being more than friends with her. "I suppose that is reasonable enough," he murmured disappointedly.

"You and I will never be more than co-workers," Kate reassured him, a cold smile accompanying it. "What is this proposal of yours?"

"History lesson first," Bruce insisted. "Tell me about your family."

"You've read my files. My father didn't give two shits about me, and my mother died when I was five." Kate shrugged, sitting down slowly. There was nothing good about her past that she wanted to speak about. "How about you, Bruce?"

"I had two wonderful parents, but they were murdered when I was a child," Bruce said softly. "It was my fault."

"What happened?" Kate asked quietly, tilting her head to the side.

"It was my fear of bats," he murmured, shifting uncomfortably. "It's not-"

"-something you want to talk about?" Kate finished, arching a brow. "I guess this means you don't appreciate the idea of Batman, then, eh?"

Bruce laughed loudly, and a grin broke out on his face. "I don't have anything against him, but he's not doing enough. I mean, he isn't keeping you safe, is he?"

"Oh, you wish you knew," Kate said lightly. "Have you ever met the masked man? He is quite charming, but let's talk business now."

"Charming? That's an interesting compliment. Has the Dark Knight swept you off of your feet, Miss Matthews?" Bruce teased, throwing her a wink. "That's supposed to be my job."

Kate rolled her eyes and leaned back into the chair, "Hardly. Now, let's discuss your proposal before decided to leave."

Bruce sighed and then launched into his idea. It was his vision to partner up with Elite Industries in order to design a new, high tech piece of technology for the military. It was an expensive project, which was why Bruce wanted to make a deal with Elite Industries. Kate was an employee of both Elite Industries and Wayne Enterprises, and she was the perfect liaison between the two companies.

Soon, the conversation drifted away from business and moved on to petty arguments and conversations about living in Gotham City. Kate was surprisingly easy to talk too, Bruce found, however, it was an interesting task to undertake. Getting beneath her skin was easy, but actually getting a glimpse at the carefree woman beneath was increasingly difficult.

"It's getting late, and I am famished," Bruce announced, throwing his arms up in the air as he stretched. "Would you like something to eat? I'm sure there's something edible in the kitchen that Alfred could make for us." Bruce stood, and before he received an answer from Kate, he called Alfred over.

"Sir, will I be taking Miss Matthews home?" Alfred inquired, smiling kindly at Kate before returning his gaze to Bruce.

"Not now, Alfred," Bruce replied. "Is there anything edible in the kitchen?"

"Yes, Sir," Alfred bowed his head. "I had the groceries delivered this morning, Sir."

"Alfred, Mister Wayne is going to cook for me," Kate interrupted, smirking as she stood. "He's been neglecting his own skills, and I told him that he should give you the night off."

Alfred chuckled and offered Kate a pleasant smile, "I appreciate the thought, Miss, although I am perfectly capable of providing both of you with an excellent meal. Mister Wayne burns most of his food."

"Come along, Kate," Bruce's rough hand clasped hers and he pulled her into the kitchen. "I'll show you how a real cook makes dinner. Hands are okay, right?" he asked this as an afterthought.

"Yeah." Kate gave his hand a squeeze, before attempting to remove it from his grip. The kitchen was cramped, and Kate found herself leaning back against the small, center island. Every surface was clean and granite clad, which came as no surprise to her. Bruce pulled open several cupboard and then, with a wide grin, pulled out a box of noodles, a pot, and a spoon. "Children always get along easier than adults do, so perhaps a childish dinner is perfect for us," he commented.

Kate sat up on the counter, her head cocked to the side. "There's nothing great about being a child," Kate said softly.

"Children are innocent, and they quarrel over small things. Friendships are easily mended between children," Bruce replied, filling the pot with water before he placed it atop the stove.

"We aren't children, Bruce," Kate snapped. "What are you cooking? Pasta?"

"Even better," he smiled playfully and turned, leaning close and tapping her nose with the tip of his finger. "Mac 'n Cheese."

Kate rolled her eyes and leaned back, swatting his hand away. "Try not to burn it, Chef Wayne," she teased.

"I'll do my best," Bruce promised, chuckling as he gave his attention to the boiling water. "Kate, are you allergic to any-" When he turned back to look at her, his arm knocked into the pot. The pot wobbled, and then tipped over, the boiling contents splashing against the linoleum floor and Bruce's lower back. "Shit!"

"Are you okay?" Kate's eyes widened and she slid off of the counter, turning the stove top off before looking at Bruce.

"I hit my arm against the pot, it's only a burn," Bruce said quickly, wincing when he touched the red, inflamed skin. "I'll be right back, there's some burn cream in the bathroom."

Kate followed him down the hall, and into the bathroom, placing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him into a sitting position on the edge of the toilet lid. She sat down on the ledge of the bathtub, facing him. "Take it off," Kate ordered, motioning to his shirt.

"Never thought I'd be hearing that come out of your mouth," Bruce said, laughing in amusement. "I'm fine, Kate." He stood up, retrieved a tube of burn cream from the cabinet, and then sat back down.

"Bruce Wayne, let me look at your back," Kate snapped, eyes narrowing. "Right now."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Bruce challenged.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kate shook her head, "That is out of the question."

Bruce pulled his shirt off, barely reacting when the fabric dragged along the tender flesh of his lower back and then the burn on his arm. His hobbies came with scars, and they had been far more painful than a few burns.

Bruce was good looking, she would give him that. However, she was more worried about the burns than his nicely toned body. She pulled her black hair back and tied it up, keeping it out of her eyes. Kate snatched the burn cream out of his hand, and stepped around him, shaking her head as she moved. A small gasp slipped past her parted lips when her eyes landed on his back.

_I'll show you mine if you show me yours._

"Kate, just don't look at them," Bruce murmured gently.

Her blue eyes dipped down and she quickly spread the cream over the red area. Her fingers trembled, a reaction from her shock. How did Bruce Wayne have any scars? When she was done, she sat back down on the ledge of the bathtub, her eyes downcast. "I didn't realize..." she took a deep breath, daring to look at him. "You should have said something."

"Katherine, the scars are there for a reason," he said. "They are a part of me. Does it really change anything?"

"Yes, it does," Kate whispered, folding her hands together. "It means something to me."

"Perhaps, when you're ready, you can tell me why," Bruce said softly. He leaned forward, caught her chin in his grip, and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was brief, but tender, and the only hesitation came from Kate.

"Touching..." she protested in a soft voice, twisting her head away. "Bruce, I can't." She was blushing, and it cast a beautiful glow over her pale skin.

"I know," Bruce reassured her. "Let's have one more drink before I have Alfred take you home."

Kate nodded and stood up, brushing past him as she made her escape into the kitchen. Without thinking, Kate dug around until she came across a roll of paper towels, and began cleaning up the spilled water. She heard Bruce come into the room, but she remained quiet, ignoring him for the moment.

Bruce was grateful for her lack of conversation. He retrieved a bottle of wine from the counter, heading into the living room, and then poured a generous amount into his glass. In Kate's, he emptied the powdered contents of a small packet, washing all traces of it away with the wine."Kate, you don't have to clean up after me, just leave the mess alone," he called. "Please, come out here."

"Remember, I'm not going to drive, Bruce," Kate joked when she walked into the room and noticed that her glass was only half filled.

"Oh, just enjoy what you get," Bruce rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink. "Drink up!"

Kate drained her glass, sighing softly afterwards. "I appreciate your attempts to make dinner," she began. "Will we be meeting here again tomorrow?" She blinked several times, and then rubbed at her eyes. She was suddenly light-headed and dizzy.

Bruce noticed her facial expression, and he set his drink back down. "Kate, I can't have you leaving. Not until I know what kind of trouble you're in." He took a step towards her, and caught her when she tipped forward.

"Asshole," Kate mumbled, her head resting against his chest. "Just wait until morning...I'll...kill you," her eyelids fell shut and her mouth went slack.

"Goodnight, Kate," Bruce murmured, carrying her into the guest bedroom and tucking her in for the night.

He could only imagine how furious she would be in the morning.

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**I figured it was time for Kate to get a look at Bruce's scars. The story behind Kate's scars will come up within the next few chapters :) I hope you enjoyed it!**


	8. Chapter Eight: How Dare You

**As some of you asked, Kate gave Bruce a little bit of a fight. This chapter took forever to write, and I just realized that my updates will be happening only once a week. I graduate on Friday, and I also begin writing my next book, which means that my time is going to be sucked up, and my brain will be very (very) dry.**

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After safely putting Kate to bed, Bruce made sure to lock the door and give Alfred the key. "Do not let her leave, Alfred."

"Sir, is this really necessary?" Alfred asked, arching a brow and holding the key up. "You're holding her prisoner?"

"It's for her own good. I'll be back before she is awake," Bruce promised. He dragged his fingers through his dark hair once more and sighed. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Sir, are you going to The Narrows?" Alfred inquired, a concerned look on his face. "Perhaps you need to give Batman a rest for the night. Throwing the Crane brothers around will only anger them. I have a feeling that if you begin to publicly associate yourself with Katherine, Bruce Wayne will become a target."

"Alfred, I need to know why they're after her," Bruce strained. "There's no other way."

"Sir, if I may, you always try to get directly to the point," Alfred began, shaking his head. "It's obvious that she does not trust you, but, perhaps if you earn her trust, she will tell you what she's running from."

"That will take too long."

"Mister Wayne, do not be so blind, give her some time to come around," Alfred said, sounding exasperated.

"Fine. I'll try and talk it out of her over the week," Bruce acquiesced. "I'll be in my room, sleeping."

"Batman is taking the night off?" Alfred arched a brow, surprise coloring his features. "It'll be good for you to get some sleep. I will unlock Katherine's door."

Bruce shook his head, going silent as he disappeared into his room. He threw himself down onto the bed, and buried his face into the silk covered pillow. Exhaustion swept over him, but his mind refused to shut off completely. He laid in bed, not quite sure if he was completely asleep or awake. He was jerked out his stupor hours later by a piercing scream.

Bruce leapt out of his bed in an instant, darting out of the room and down the hall, ripping the door to the guest room open. He stood in the doorway for a long moment, frowning.

Kate was curled up in the corner, her legs pulled up to her chest and her head bent forward. She was crying, her shoulders shaking, and she was gasping for breath. "Get out!" she snarled, when she heard Bruce enter the room.

"What's wrong?" he seemed to be at a loss for words, and he looked confused. "Kate...are you okay?"

"Don't touch me, Bruce," her tone was venomous, and when she lifted her head, she shot him an icy glare. "I will beat the shit out of you if you come any closer."

"What happened? I heard you scream," Bruce closed the door behind him, and then walked across the dark carpet and over to the drapes. He pulled them open, golden sunlight spilling into the room, illuminating the woman pressed into the corner. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Kate's eyes were red and swollen, and she rose to her feet, "It's none of your business. You drugged me. How dare you keep me here against my will," she accused, looking wounded.

"Kate, I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry? You low life bastard," she hissed, interrupting his apology. She stiffened when he walked over to her, and screwed her eyes shut when he brushed her tears away with his fingertips. Kate shuddered and then, without thinking, drew her fist back and slammed it into his gut. The force behind it was strong enough to knock the wind out of him, and she jerked her knee up, connecting it with his groin. "Don't touch me again," she choked out. Her hand shot out, and she caught him in the jaw with a heavy punch, sending him reeling backwards.

Bruce groaned, and his defensive response kicked in. When Kate launched another punch at him, he caught her wrist in his right hand, twisted it behind her, and locked his arm around her neck. She stilled instantly, but her hands were clamped around his forearm, nails digging into his skin. "Kate, I'm not going to hurt you, just relax," he whispered.

Kate gasped loudly, his words triggering a scene from her memory with identical words that had come out of the mouth of a man who had disarmed her on a cold, rainy night, in the same manner that Bruce had just done. "L-let me go," she stammered, her nails breaking the skin of his forearm. She heard him suck in a quiet breath, and then he released her, taking a step back. _Impossible, there's no way they could be the same person._ Kate shook her head, turning to stare at him. Ice blue optics searched the depths of Bruce Wayne's dark eyes, looking for something, anything.

The only thing she found was pity and sorrow. A second passed, and Kate stepped forward, slapping him across the face. Out of the blows that she delivered, this was the one that hurt the most. "I'll see you at the office," her voice was soft, and she turned, yanking the door open. Fresh tears streaked down her face.

"Miss Matthews, let me drive you home," Alfred insisted when the young woman rushed to the elevator doors. "Ma'am, I'm...sorry."

Kate bit down hard on her lower lip, shaking her head instead of speaking. It appeared that she would start crying if she said anything. She stepped into the elevator, pressing a hand to her chest in an attempt to keep herself together. "What-why is he so rude?" Kate asked, her voice shaking.

Alfred shook his head, "Miss Matthews, he only wants to keep you safe. He is used to getting his way, and he is rather impatient when he does not."

When the elevator doors shut, Kate burst into tears. "I'm not...sad," she explained through her sobs. "What...what doesn't he understand about not touching me?"

"Katherine, he doesn't always understand things," Alfred said gently. "If I had known that he was going to drug you, I would have stopped him. I can take you back to your apartment, and if you would like, I'll make you some breakfast."

"You don't have to do that," Kate reassured him, sniffling. She wiped at her damp cheeks and sighed heavily, "I'd like to go to Wayne Tower, actually."

"Is that wise, Miss?" Alfred led her to the car and helped her get inside.

"Alfred, I just need to get away from Mister Wayne," she answered softly. "Work will keep my mind off of things."

"Very well, Miss Matthews," Alfred smiled kindly at her when he slid into the driver's seat. The ride to Wayne Tower was quiet and peaceful. When he pulled to a stop at the front of the building, Kate leapt out, waved to Alfred, and disappeared inside. Out of all of the things that Kate did to take her mind off of things, work was the one that worked the best.

The temperature inside Archives dropped significantly from the warm temperature outside. Kate wrapped her arms around herself, before proceeding down one of the isles, and finding the folder that held all information regarding the Applied Sciences department. For a department that didn't exist, it seemed that a large amount of money was going into it. The most recent purchases had been up of small items, but in large quantities.

"Who needs ten thousand of those?" Kate wondered aloud, her brows drawing together. Finally, Kate decided to go down to the supposed floor that Applied Sciences had occupied until it had been 'shut down'. Why would Lucius Fox lie to her? If the department was so boring and unimportant, why hide it? She returned the folder to its rightful spot, and then entered the elevator, hitting the button that would take her to the lowest level of Wayne Tower.

The loud ding of the elevator made Kate jump, and she tucked a loose strand of black hair behind her ear as the elevator doors slid open. Her curiosity was getting the best of her, again. When the lights in the lower level flooded the room with a bright light, Kate's jaw nearly hit the floor.

An vast space full of bleeping computers, weapons, and shelves greeted her. Without hesitation, Kate walked inside, her eyes wandering over the different blueprints of buildings flashing over the screens. She came to a stop when she spotted a large, black, tank-like vehicle parked in the far corner. It was beaten up, and in need of repair, but Kate recognized it the instant she saw it.

Why was Batman's infamous vehicle sitting in the basement of Wayne Tower? Kate shook her head, and approached a table covered in black pieces of armor.

Suddenly, the room went black, and then, with a loud whir, the emergency lights came on. Kate's breathing stilled and she carefully stepped back into a shadow, her eyes scanning the dim room.

"Kate?"

"Bruce?" Kate stepped out of the darkness, eyebrow raised. "What are you doing here?" He was the last person she wanted to see, and she had been hoping for several days of freedom from his penetrating gaze.

"I could ask you the same thing, Miss Matthews," he answered. "I wasn't expecting you to be the person breaking into the Applied Sciences department."

"I was under the impression that it didn't exist, Mister Wayne," Kate replied coldly, turning her gaze back to the vehicle that she knew was hiding within the shadows. "I thought you were going to leave me alone."

"Kate, I'm sorry, please understand," he pleaded. Bruce stepped closer to her, his stomach sinking at the idea that she might know something. "This is just storage, Lucius comes down here to experiment from time to time."

"Bruce, don't make excuses!" Kate snapped, anger flooding her eyes. "Why is Batman's vehicle down here? Why are there orders for thousands of pieces of...everything imaginable? Why are there weapons down here? Why-"

Bruce placed a hand on her shoulder, "Kate, this is Lucius' domain. I don't question the things he does, and I allow them. I know that he is a great ally of Batman, and I cannot have you interfering with that," he gave her a pointed look. "Do not come back down here again."

"Whatever you say, Mister Wayne," Kate replied in a quiet voice. She pursed her lips, before looking down at her shoe clad feet.

"Kate, don't act like that," he reprimanded gently. "Accept my apology, and let me take you home. Alfred shouldn't have brought you back to work."

"You'll take me back to my apartment?" Kate clarified, her blue eyes meeting his. "Who are you, and what have you done with the I-always-get-what-I-want Bruce Wayne?"

The corners of his lips pulled up, and Bruce chuckled. "Cute. Yes, Kate, I will take you home," he said, taking her hand into his and leading her back to the elevator. "Hands are okay, right?"

"Yes, Bruce, hands are fine," Kate murmured. "But I am still upset with you. If I ever catch you adding anything to my drinks, I will beat you up."

"I believe you," he admitted. "You are quite fast on your feet, Kate. Where did you learn how to fight?"

"Just take me home, Bruce," Kate replied. "You can't drug me, and then expect me to freely give you the answers to all of your questions. I am upset with you, and I need some space."

"Oh, trust me, you'll have plenty of space when you get home," he commented dryly.

"Damn right, I will," Kate snapped, nearly ripping her hand out of his grip when they stepped into the public eye. That was something that Kate did not want anyone to see. Once they were safe in the confines of his sports car, she allowed him to hold her hand again. There was something comforting about it, and despite the fact that she was extremely upset with him, she still wanted to know that he was there. "And I do not want to see you for at least twenty-four hours. Do not call me, send me gifts, or try to see me."

"Are those the only demands you have, Miss Mathews?" he asked playfully.

"I'm serious, Bruce," Kate said, glaring at him. "I need time to think."

Bruce nodded, agreeing to her terms. This would give him time to find out what was going on in the life of his employee, and time for him to track the Crane brother's down. "Will you promise to not get into trouble?" he paused for a moment, and then gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry for making you cry."

"Of course," Kate answered. In reality, she had no way of guaranteeing her safety. Twenty-four hours without Bruce Wayne was a blessing and a curse. As much as she loved to hate him, there was something about his presence that both calmed and upset her. She liked that. She ignored his apology, hating the reminder that she had allowed him to see her in such a vulnerable state of mind. "What could possibly happen in twenty-four hours?"

"Anything." Bruce answered solemnly.

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**I hope you liked that. I know I rushed through this chapter, and the next one will be a bit smoother and not so rough :) My brain is sore (enough said, I believe?). Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews :)**


	9. Chapter Nine: Perfect and Stubborn

**Once again, thank you so so so much for reading and reviewing this! The horrendous writing project that I am working on has consumed more time than I had expected, and all other writing projects are secondary, which include this piece. This chapter is a bit fluffy, but I figured some kindness between Bruce and Kate could be helpful. Batman's identity will be revealed within the next few chapters, since Kate can be obnoxiously nosy when she wants answers.**

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Weeks went by, and while Kate was given some space, Bruce had someone managed to continually smother her with his presence. Two weeks had been enough time for her to start to trust him, but not enough to tell him what was going on. In fact, Kate hadn't been bothered by either of the Crane brothers for several weeks.

"Kate," Bruce was lying on the carpeted floor of her apartment, his body splayed out, and shirt partially unbuttoned. "Can we go back to my house, now?"

"You've been asking me that for the past two hours," she reminded him, ignoring the whining tone of his voice. "Bruce, I told you that I needed to work on this. Things would be done faster if you laid on the bed and stopped complaining about the itchy carpet." Kate was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, and a laptop balanced on her knee. She was composing an important email to her old boss at Elite Industries, inquiring for several different documents that they needed to complete the business deal. "You came up with the idea of this business proposal, you should be glad that I'm getting things done."

"Fine," Bruce huffed, pouting as he detached himself from the carpet, and climbed onto the bed. "What are you doing tonight?"

"It's almost seven, Bruce," Kate murmured absently, closing the lid of the laptop and setting it on the coffee table next to the bed. "I'll probably go to bed after you leave."

"Are you kicking me out?" Bruce asked, shooting her a playful pout. "We've been having so much fun over the past few weeks."

"Bruce, we've been working like dogs on the proper approach to this proposal," Kate corrected, smiling slightly. She flicked his nose gently, "You're incorrigible. Quit pouting and go home, I'll be safe." Kate knew that he was trying to stay as late as possible in order to keep an eye on her, but nothing had happened, and Kate liked to spend her nights alone.

"You're in luck," Bruce said, smiling as he got up. "I am hosting a housewarming party at the Manor in an hour."

Kate rolled her eyes, "Bruce, why on earth didn't you say something sooner?" she scolded. "Go, have fun at your party."

"Kate, I would have more fun if you were there," he replied. "Would you be my date?"

"Who will be the other date?" Kate teased, feigning seriousness. "Normally, Bruce Wayne is accompanied by several beautiful women." It was very difficult to hide her smile, and it broke through after a brief moment.

"Why would I need two when I have one that is more beautiful than five Swedish models?" Bruce asked, grinning impishly. "Please?"

"I would love to, but I'm afraid I have nothing to wear," Kate said softly. "Perhaps next time."

The grin remained on Bruce's face, and he stepped over to her closet, pulled open the door, and revealed a clear dress bag. "I took the liberty of purchasing something for you, since I intend on inviting you to many other events in the future."

Kate moved forward and unzipped the bag, examining the expanse of silver, beaded fabric. "Bruce, there is no way that this will fit me," she argued, glancing back at him.

"Just try it on, for me," he pleaded, pouting once more.

Kate finally agreed, disappearing into the bathroom for a few minutes. She shimmied into the dress, a smile stretching over her lips as she zipped the side up. The heavily beaded silver fabric brushed against the ground, and Kate ran her hands over her sides, admiring the way the dress clung to what little curves she had. There was only one problem with the dress, the plunging neckline showed off the one scar that Kate was constantly hiding. A jagged line dropped down from her left shoulder and between her breasts. "Bruce, how did you get this to fit perfectly?" she called.

"Let me see it," he replied.

Kate bit her lip, and then departed from the room, awkwardly attempting to cover up the extreme amount of skin of her chest that was on display. "This dress isn't entirely appropriate, Bruce," she commented, flushing when she looked at him.

"You look beautiful," Bruce complimented, winking playfully at her. When he stepped close to her, with the intention of moving her hair out of her face, he noticed the jagged scar on her chest. When he had purchased the dress, he had aimed to cover the scars on her back, because he knew that they made her uncomfortable. His hand skimmed over the top of her collarbone, his fingertips tracing the faint, white line. "I didn't realize there was more. If I had known, I would have made sure they were covered," he apologized.

"Do they bother you, Bruce?" Kate asked quietly, biting down on her lip as he touched the visible scar. Over the weeks, she had grown to trust him enough to let him touch her, but not enough to tell him where the scars had come from.

"Not at all, Kate," Bruce answered softly, his hand falling to his side. "I think they're beautiful, but I know they make you uncomfortable, and I would never ask you to wear this dress to a public event unless you were comfortable with it."

"I can handle it," she promised, stepping away from him. "Just let me fix my hair, and put some makeup on."

"I can do that, I need to go put my suit on," Bruce grinned and rummaged around in her closet. "I may have taken the liberty of keeping my dress clothes in here as well."

"Well, get ready then." Rolling her eyes at his antics, and returning to the bathroom, Kate began working on curling her black hair. It would be easier to have it up and out of her face, so she swept the curls back, and pinned them up. She had never attended a formal event, much less one that would no doubt have millions of paparazzi. "Bruce? How many people are going to be there?"

"About eighty or so," he responded, and he sounded distracted. "Why?"

Kate stepped out of the bathroom, curious as to the reason why he sounded distressed, and laughed softly when she saw Bruce struggling with his bow tie. "Does Alfred usually help you get dressed?"

"Sometimes," Bruce answered, another impish grin appearing on his face. "Mostly, I have my date help me."

Kate rolled her eyes and swatted his hands away from his tie. While she did so, Bruce reached up, and pulled out the bobby pins that held her hair up. Her black curls cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. "Your hair looks better down," he replied. "Shall we go? It's dark out, and the car is parked down the street."

She nodded, and picked up a small, silver purse, glancing at the contents inside before snapping it shut. Kate always carried a weapon with her, and tonight, it was a switchblade. "What?" she asked quietly, arching a brow and turning her head slightly when she felt Bruce's breath against her cheek.

His warm hands covered hers, and he opened up the purse. "Why are you bringing a knife with you, Kate?" he asked quietly.

"Because I live in The Narrows, Bruce," Kate answered softly. "And you can't protect me from the people on these streets by telling them you're Bruce Wayne." She brushed his hands away, and opened the door, moving out into the hallway.

"You're a little controlling when it comes to protecting yourself," Bruce murmured, following after her. He led her out of the building, down the street, and over to his vehicle. "I can keep you safe, Katherine."

Kate smiled briefly. There was something about the way he said her full name, it didn't bother her like it did when anyone else used it. "Bruce, we've had this discussion before," she warned. "I'm not a little girl, I can take care of myself."

"Yes, you can," Bruce shook his head, chuckling while climbing into the dark sedan. He had swapped his flashy sports car for something equally sleek, but not so obnoxious.

The party was an interesting event. Kate moved around from guest to guest, Bruce's arm wrapped around her waist the entire time. At one point, she recalled hearing him tell someone that she was his girlfriend. She had scolded him for the comment, but he had only smiled and winked. His home was magnificent, and Kate seemed to be the only one gawking at the massive, arching ceilings and crystal chandeliers that adorned every room.

By the end of the night, Kate was in another room, conversing with Alfred. "It's been a long evening," Kate admitted, seeing a sympathetic smile light Alfred's weathered features.

"Mister Wayne rarely has guests over, and sadly, he had to show off the new mansion to the public," Alfred commented. "Along with his new girlfriend."

Kate snorted, and her cheeks heated. "Alfred, I would hardly consider him my boyfriend, and I doubt he thinks I'm good enough to be his girlfriend."

"Miss Matthews, if you mean you aren't a skimpy dressed, accent wielding female who can't tell the difference between a spoon and a fork, then you'd be right about not being good enough. You are too good for him." Alfred patted her shoulder gently. "Don't be so hard on yourself, it's about time he paid attention to a woman like you."

"Thank you, Alfred," Kate murmured, exchanging a hug with him before she felt Bruce's arm wrap lazily around her waist.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked softly. "You look tired."

"Don't look so concerned," Kate murmured, gently patting his cheek with her hand. "You still have guests here, if I get tired, I'll sleep in your bed."

"Only if I'm there too," Bruce commented, smirking. "I can tend to my guests after you are tucked in bed. Come along, Kate." He captured her hand in his, and led her through the spacious halls of his home, outside, and back to his car.

"You have a beautiful home," Kate murmured. "Perhaps you can give me a real tour at some point."

"I would love to do that, and I will," Bruce promised. He parked in front of her apartment building, despite the sign that clearing prohibited said action.

"Bruce, you're going to get ticketed for parking there," Kate argued, stepping out of the car slowly.

"Kate, I'm a billionaire. What's a few hundred bucks?" Bruce waggled a brow and looped his arm around her waist, pulling her inside. "Besides, it looks like it'll start raining at any moment."

"Always the gentleman, Mister Wayne," she teased, absently playing with the beading on her dress as she walked. When they came to a stop at her apartment door, she turned to face him, smiling pleasantly. "Thank you for-" she paused when he snaked his arm back around her waist and pulled her close.

"I heard what you told Alfred," Bruce said suddenly, "And I want you to know that you are delusional, Katherine Matthews."

"About what?" Kate asked, placing her hands on his shoulders, neutral territory, in her eyes.

"About not being good enough to be my girlfriend," he said. He dipped his head down, and pressed his lips against hers. It was brief and gentle, and Bruce reluctantly ended it before he caused her any discomfort. Normally, he wouldn't make such a laborious effort to go after a woman who was obviously not completely invested in a relationship. "You're perfect, albeit a little stubborn, and if you wouldn't mind being my girlfriend, I would love to call you that."

Kate blushed for the millionth time, and patted his shoulders lightly, awkwardly. "It's late. I'm not really...ready for a relationship like that," she finished.

"Commitment problems?" Bruce asked teasingly, smiling as he let her go. He seemed to be able to get away with comments like that with most people, but Kate always reacted differently.

"Try crazy ex-boyfriend problems," Kate said, tensing slightly. "You're my boss, I believe relationships between co-workers is usually frowned upon."

"Since you're on the topic of me being your boss, I'll remind you of one minor detail..." Bruce smiled childishly, and his dark eyes twinkled. "I'm Bruce Wayne."

"And Bruce Wayne usually gets what he wants, doesn't he?" Kate's smile was brief, and it was apparent that he had lost most of her attention.

"Yes, I do." He took her hand in his, and pressed a kiss against the back of her hand. "Goodnight, Kate."

A sigh slipped past the raven haired woman's lips. "You know, if I were your girlfriend, the chivalrous kiss on the back of the hand would not be enough," she joked.

"Is that so?" Bruce released her hand, and flashed her a dazzling smile. "Tell me, Kate, I've already kissed you once tonight, is there a minimum amount of kisses that must be administered by the end of the night? If we were, say, a couple."

"I'll consider making one, Bruce," Kate replied, smiling sweetly. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'll give you the finished proposal at nine, in your office."

"I'll be anxiously waiting," Bruce replied. He watched her for a moment, and chuckled when she stepped forward, and placed an awkward kiss on his cheek. "I'm pretty sure we're past the cheek-kissing stage, and you'll have to begin expecting this when you get too close," he teased, turning his head, and capturing her lips with his.

When he kissed her, Kate returned it with equal fervor. Unlike before, she was no longer hesitant. One hand curled up in his hair, and the other cupped his face, while her lips ravaged his. It wasn't a soft kiss, but frustrated and desperate. Bruce was grinning by the time she pulled away, breathless and flushed. "And were you intending on not kissing me like that forever?" he teased. "It was nice."

"That's how Katherine Marcus does it," Kate replied, opening her door. There were too many pent up feelings inside of her, and while she liked Bruce, she felt that things would never quite work out. "She's a tad bit sloppy, I'm much more thorough."

"Well then," Bruce looked shocked, and he grinned again. "Goodnight, Beautiful." He tossed a wink in for good measure, and then turned, disappearing down the hall.

Kate chuckled before going into her apartment, closing the door, and locking it. She shivered when a gust of wind hit her bare shoulders, and she glared petulantly at the open window. With quick steps, she closed the distance between herself and the window, and closed it tightly. Kate didn't recall leaving one open, but it could have slipped her mind.

_Now you're being paranoid, Kate,_ she thought. Her blue eyes swept over the interior of her home, and stopping on a note propped against her pillow. With trembling hands, she retrieved it, and stared at the elegant script on the page.

_Your new boyfriend is quite rich. Do you plan on stealing from him too? Perhaps I should meet this young man, he seems rather fond of you. I remember when you kissed me like that._

_ If he touches you again, I'll kill him. Right in front of your eyes. If you touch him, I'll kill him. I'll be watching._

_ - C. C._

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**Thank you for reading! I apologize for the lack of updating, but I'm working on my next book, and it takes priority. I'll for sure have an update within the week! I appreciate the reviews, you guys are all wonderful :)**


	10. Chapter Ten: Harsh Words

**Out of all the things I am good at, keeping promises when it comes to writing is not one of them. June became the busiest month of my life, with the book that I am diligently working on (and almost done with), to the extensive hours that I've had to take at my place of employment. This isn't the greatest chapter, but the whole unmasking of Batman is near (for those of you who are eagerly anticipating that). There are only five more days left before July is here, and I am more than positive that I will have more free time during July. Thank you for reading, and I hope you do enjoy this!**

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Kate re-read the note for the hundredth time, and then angrily threw it at the window. In twenty minutes, she was supposed to be meeting with Bruce. Perhaps putting a stop to whatever was going on between them before it got out of hand was better. It didn't seem like Bruce Wayne had ever truly had a real relationship, at least, not one that had been made public. Even Rachel spoke fondly of Bruce, but had revealed to Kate that he was more interested in something quick, or nothing at all.

With a heavy sight, she reclaimed the note, slipped it into her pocket, and made her way to the door. As she traveled, she thought about all of the things that she had done wrong in her life, besides being born into the wrong family. The ride on the train was short in length, but for Kate, it seemed to stretch on for an eternity. The idea of telling Bruce Wayne to leave her alone was difficult, but she was ready to do so. If things went completely sour, she would simply transfer back to Elite Industries, and continue her career as if she had never left.

"Good morning, Miss Mathews," the perky blonde receptionist called, a bright smile on her face. "Mister Wayne is waiting for you in his office. He says you're late."

"I know," Kate murmured to herself. "Thank you, Stacia." With quick, graceful strides, she entered the elevator, and proceeded to travel to Bruce's office. Her phone was buzzing in the back pocket of her dress pants, but she ignored it, her hands clenched around the file she was expected to deliver.

When she entered his office, Bruce immediately could tell something wasn't quite right. Her shoulders were tense, and the shirt that she wore was not tucked into her pants. It would only be odd on her, because she seemed very particular with her appearance. Her hair was pulled back loosely, and fell into her face. "What's wrong?" He asked, deciding against commenting on her tardiness.

"Nothing," Kate answered, too quickly to reassure him. "I have the proposal perfected," she placed the file on his desk, and then sat down. "Do you need anything else?"

"Nothing at the moment," he told her. "However, I was wondering if you'd be interested in-"

"Bruce, the only thing I am interested in is furthering my career," Kate said, quickly moving her hands to her lap before he could touch them. "Is there anything else you need today related to work? If not, I need to organize the growing stack of files on my desk."

Bruce watched her for a moment, and then sat back down. "I was going to see if you wanted to go out for lunch with me today, actually." He smiled warmly, and winked at her.

"I can't," Kate answered flatly.

"Can't, or won't?" Bruce arched a brow.

"Mister Wayne, there are thousands of single women waiting for your attention. I do not desire your affection." Her voice was cold, but steady. She cared enough about him to not want him dead, and cleaning up after Cameron Crane was never pleasant. A clean break would do, instead of just ignoring him.

"Kate, why the formality?" Bruce inquired, and rose from his seat. "You had no problem with my first name yesterday, and I'd like to think that you enjoyed my affection."

"You are arrogant, Mister Wayne," Kate replied, annoyed by his assumptions, which were correct. "And I'm not interested in a one night stand. I prefer a man who doesn't have commitment issues." That was a low blow, she didn't know him well enough to know exactly why he didn't seem to enjoy long term relationships.

"I'm not interested in your type, anyways," Bruce said absently, fixing his tie. "Models are more my speed. I like flawless skin." Perhaps the comment about flawless skin had been too much, but Bruce didn't care. This was better for both of them. A masked man only had one thing to fear, and that was the loss of someone who had gotten too close. Kate was getting too close, and it was not his intention for her to do so.

Kate glared at him. "If you need anything from Archives, please call ahead of time." She turned on her heels, marched out of the room, and slammed the door behind her for good measure. His comment had hurt, even though she had been the one to start it. Without hesitation, Kate went to her office, and locked the door.

It was time for a change of address. There was something exhilarating about living in The Narrows, but Kate knew that it was best if she found a place that was closer to her new place of employment. Sometime small, and homey. Kate owned very little, and she had no desire for useless things such as keepsakes. Her childhood meant nothing to her, and she loved to forget about it.

She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket, and tossed it onto her desk, ignoring the flashing screen that read 'five missed calls'. Her slender hands slid around to the back of the office-issued desk phone, and she yanked the cord out. There. Now she wouldn't have to deal with anyone for the rest of the day.

Suddenly, her cell phone began to vibrate, making a loud, grating noise against the desk. "This is Kate Matthews," she said tiredly, resting her head against her hand.

"Miss Matthews, Rachel Dawes is here to see you," Stacia said.

"Send her down," Kate was about to hang up, when she frowned. "How did you get my cell phone number?"

"Mister Wayne gave it to me when you wouldn't answer your work line," she answered. "Rachel will be right down to see you."

Kate sighed, and hung up. She rose from her desk, and went back to the office door, unlocking it, and peering out into the vast domain that she was in charge of. It was not an ideal day to have a visit from an old friend, but it would be one that she had been expecting.

When the dark haired woman reached her office, Kate had put a tired, but genuine smile on her face. "Rachel, how are you?"

"I've been better, Kate," Rachel admitted, and she smiled. "I actually need your help with something, and I figured with your expertise, you might be able to give me a little insight."

At one point, Kate had worked with Rachel and the District Attorney's office, which was why she had the apartment in The Narrows. With her background, Kate knew her way around the place like it was the back of her hand. "What can I help you with?"

"Arkham Asylum," Rachel said slowly. "I knew that Doctor Crane was up to something, but now that he's considered to be a patient there, the new owner has stepped in."

"His brother, no doubt," Kate murmured, all ready well aware of the ownership of Arkham Asylum.

"His brother is supposed to be dead, but according to one of my sources, he is very much alive and well." Rachel dragged her hand through her hair slowly, "He goes by Cameron Jensen, but not only is he renovating Arkham, he is also buying up as many members of Gotham's police force as possible."

"I know Cameron, but I'm afraid I will be of little help to you, Rachel," Kate said. "If you want information on him, I can give you that, but that's all I can do."

"Information will do no good, he's aiming to run as Gotham's mayor in the next election, and he's covered his tracks well enough to not catch suspicion," Rachel explained. "I know the things you can do...and I think I have a friend who can be a great asset to you."

"You want me to beat Cameron Crane at his own game? Who, in their right minds, would be willing to go head on against him?"

"Batman." Rachel grinned, and it was a look that hadn't graced her face in a long time. "He owes me, anyways." She paused, and then cleared her throat. "He's up to something, and in order to stop him, whatever he's working on needs to be stopped as well."

"You're friends with the right people, it would seem, Rachel," Kate admired, and motioned for the other woman to take a seat.

"You're one of the best," Rachel replied. "You said that you had a past of sorts with the Crane family, back when we were first working on investigating both Falcone and Jonathan Crane. May I ask what it is?"

Kate sat up slightly, cleared her throat, and then blew out a stream of air. "It's very complicated," she murmured. "You remember that story I told you...about how I stole from that rich boy, and both his wife and son died in a fire on the same night? How he accused me of killing off his wife, and his only child in the process?"

Rachel nodded. "You're telling me that you screwed Cameron Crane over?"

"More or less, and he wants revenge," Kate rubbed her forehead. "It's been seven years, and I knew that he was alive, but I assumed that he didn't know what had happened to me, or cared."

"Why did you steal from him?"

"He married my best friend, Melanie," Kate explained. "That was back when I was fine with being the lover and the best friend. When I tried breaking it off with him, about a month into their marriage, he tried killing me. I was stuck in a coma for five months, and when I woke back up, he came to see me. He was positive that I didn't remember anything, and I played along. When he was away on business, I stole some of his prized possessions, and then disappeared completely. The entire building went up in flames minutes after I had cleared the area..."

"He's a control freak, from what I've seen, and I'll bet he had only the best surveillance for his family," Rachel said. "So you disappeared, and he found you?"

"He found me, and now he's threatening me." Kate pulled the note out of her pocket, and smoothed it out on the desk. "Maybe he doesn't blame me for their deaths, but I've always been under the impression that he would be."

"Did you tell Bruce about this?" Rachel inquired as she glanced over the note.

"No. What is he going to do? Send Cameron a bunch of women to protect himself?" Kate laughed faintly. "I honestly don't think there's anything Bruce could do."

"He has friends in high places," Rachel said softly. "He would like to know if there is a threat on his life."

"Rachel, do not tell him about this," Kate pleaded. "I trust you. I just don't want to deal with Bruce Wayne and his antics for another second."

Rachel chuckled, and smiled. "He likes you. I was at his house-warming party, and I haven't seen him like that in a long time. He doesn't usually invest much time into relationships."

"Well, there isn't anything between us," Kate said flatly, and tossed the note into the garbage. "I told him to leave me alone, he's not really my speed anyways. Like you told me when I started working here, he is very one-night-stand type."

"He isn't always so bad. He's just guilty, and he doesn't know how to handle his guilt in the right ways," Rachel said. Despite the fact that he was Batman when the sun went down, it was never going to change how he felt about the death of his parents. "Bruce is very complicated."

"Indeed," the brunette dragged her fingers through her hair, and sat back. "But since I am being paid to work, I should get back to business." Rachel had been appointed as the new district attorney, and she had been doing an excellent job. It seemed that her connections with both the Commissioner and Batman paid off. "I need to find out what he's working on at Arkham, before he buys out the rest of the population."

"I can't promise you anything, Rachel," Kate warned. "I was planning on moving out of the apartment, but since there's still problems in The Narrows, I can dwell there for a while longer."

"I'm surprised you didn't get out of there sooner," Rachel commented. "Kate, I will contact my friends, and I will see what I can do. This is a team effort, though, so I need to know if you're willing to work with others."

"As long as they don't piss me off," Kate replied. "I'm assuming that you'll be acquiring the help of Gotham's Dark Knight?"

Rachel smiled, and bowed her head. "He's the best," she assured her friend. If only Kate knew that Bruce Wayne was not as helpless as he seemed. "However, I can't say if he'll be completely willing to team up with anyone, so that will be an angle that you will have to work. Should I set up some sort of meeting?"

"Ten o' clock," Kate answered. "Tonight. He knows where I live. Tell him that I'll be waiting on my fire escape."

"I didn't realize you knew him," Rachel said slowly, shooting her friend a curious look.

"I ran into him once. The Narrows is a dangerous place, remember?" Kate teased. After a moment passed, she caught sight of Rachel's arms, which displayed months of pain and sadness. "Rachel...how are you?"

The brunette froze up, and sighed. "Work keeps me busy," she replied. "Things are better, but it's difficult."

"Are you still dating that doctor you were telling me about?" Kate inquired.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, I am. It's been a few weeks now, and it's going...well enough." Things were hard, and getting over Harvey Dent was an obstacle that Rachel had yet to truly get over. She could drown her sorrows in her work life, but sometimes it wasn't enough. "But he understands, and I think things are going to be okay." A small, humorless laugh slipped past her lips. It had been months since she had said that phrase, and it felt foreign. "So...ten o' clock?" She asked, quickly changing the subject.

Kate nodded, and rose up from her desk. "Keep in touch," she murmured. Without thought, Kate stepped around her desk, and wrapped her arms around Rachel. "I'm serious. Call me to talk about anything, it's been too long since we've spoken about things other than crime."

"I will," Rachel replied. "Promise."

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I've been wanting to incorporate Rachel more, and now I have :) I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll be updating once I've finished my book up, within the next week. Thank you so much!


	11. Chapter Eleven: Unmasked

**I have been very busy, as of late, but I have some more time on my hands, so hopefully those updates will be coming a bit faster. There will be more updates, but I can no longer promise when they will be. I'm busy working on editing my forth book, along with working out the kinks with having my book for sale, and stuff. I've been quite the nervous writing wreck this week, and I've been working on this chapter during this writing wreck week, when I probably should have taken a writing vacation.**

**All of your reviews are so helpful, and thank you so much for reading this :) Without the reviews, and the knowledge that there are others reading this, I would probably have given up after chapter one.**

**On another not, to Kindleflame5 (and everyone else who rooted for this) you'll have to read to see if Kate gets the utility belt ;)**

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_Meet me at The Plaza, room 73._

_-B_

It was a note that Kate had not been expecting, and it made her feel extremely vulnerable. Sure, he was Batman, but he had gotten into her apartment. It was unnerving, and frankly, a little rude in Kate's eyes. "Asshole," she muttered angrily. She had spent her entire day ignoring the thought of going back upstairs to apologize to Bruce, and then trying to push past him when he attempted to stop her from leaving the building. He had been insistent on forgiveness, but the only thing that he received was a punch in the face.

But they were two different people, so Kate shook her head, and reminded herself that her anger towards her masked acquaintance was misplaced.

With a loud sigh, she pulled on her simple black coat over the casual blue turtleneck she had donned. It annoyed her to some extent that she had no costume, but then she reminded herself that she didn't need one. She was flesh and blood, corruptible, unlike Batman, who was a symbol. At one time, she had considered doing exactly what he did, but her desire to escape from her past overwhelmed what she felt was right in her eyes. Her involvement with Gotham's police department, and the District Attorney was what she did to try and right the wrongs that her father had done. As much as she wanted to hate her father for the crimes he committed, and the ones that he had doled out to his thugs, she couldn't.

Kate approached the meeting spot cautiously. She had left her apartment early with the intention of loosing anyone tailing her, but it had seemed that Cameron had lightened up on his surveillance. She was peeved, due to the short notice on the change in location, and the fact that she had to walk the entire way. Quietly, Kate made her way inside the building, and up the stairs. At one point, she had lived in this very building when she was five for several months, and it looked exactly the same. The wallpaper was unraveling, and yellow stains threatened to converge on the pleasant floral pattern on the walls. The building stank of mold and cat urine, just as it had when Kate had been a child. It brought back painful memories.

Without hesitation, Kate entered room seventy three, and drew her gun. Her sharp gaze dissected every inch of the bare room, until she found him, waiting in the darkness.

"You're late," he said quietly.

"You chose this place on purpose," she accused in response, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I did not," he told her, casting a strange, yet curious gaze over her. "However, I can see that you are not fond of this place. Why?"

"I do not need to revisit the place where I was beaten into a sad, scared little girl," Kate said coldly. "Just because Rachel wants us to partner up, does not mean that I need to divulge all of my secrets."

"We should be able to trust one another," he remarked. "Secrets only create distrust between partners."

"Who are you?" She inquired, ignoring his latter comment.

"Someone you can trust." His answer was not unexpected, but Kate was set on finding out who was hiding behind the mask.

"Let me see your face," she insisted, and took a step closer, a smile on her lips. "Pretty please? Secrets cause distrust, and only your lovely face is going to quell that distrust."

"No." He took a step closer, and smirked. "As I discussed with Rachel, you will be in charge of all surveillance, and gathering all intelligence regarding Arkham Asylum. Your influence in Wayne Enterprises should help us gather better information about Cameron Crane."

"Let me guess, you'll handle all the legwork," Kate said sarcastically, and her hands found her hips. "That isn't going to happen."

"If you took one step into Arkham, you'd be found, and who knows what they would do to you, especially after they threatened your boss." Batman pointed out. "Besides, I don't think you're quite up to par for such physical activity."

"You want physical?" Kate inquired. "How's this for physical?" Without hesitation, her fist met with the side of his face. In rapid succession, she landed one more punch against his hard jaw, and then her knee met with his groin.

The plated armor was rock hard, and would make it difficult to get any harmful shot in. However, Kate wasn't looking to harm him, but to catch him off of his game. She dodged his first punch, but staggered back when he caught her jaw with a gloved fist. They were a flurry of elegant, yet very dangerous fighters. Each seemed to know the other's moves before they were executed, and so a vicious game of who could dodge the most attacks before they were taken out began.

"You should just give up, Katherine," Batman commented.

Kate didn't miss the labored breathing of her opponent, and so she took the chance to taunt him. "I guess this means you aren't quite 'up to par' either, eh?"

Kate grinned and dropped to the ground when her comment forced him into action. His aimed attack missed her completely, and while he was off balance, she stepped around him, knotted her hand in the black fabric of his cape, and wrapped it around his neck tightly. Her intention was not to harm him, but to distract him enough so that she could disarm him.

He snarled, and whirled around, his elbow slamming into her ribcage, and sending her into the back wall. When he moved to restrain her, Kate's arm came up, an she leveled her gun at his chest. The safety was off, and her finger rested on the trigger.

"You can't kill me with that," he scoffed. "Bulletproof." With confidence, he tapped the sculpted armor.

"Your first suit was," Kate replied with the shake of her head."However, when I was looking through several files, I found that your newest suit...isn't quite bulletproof. A direct shot at this range would penetrate with ease. You're a dead man if you don't do what I say. Get on your knees."

"You fight dirty, Katherine." He watched her, and slowly knelt down.

"I'm the daughter of Richard Marcus, what did you expect?" She circled him slowly, and then bent down, and looped a pair of thick, plastic cuffs around his wrists. When she tightened them, she tucked her gun back into the waistband of her pants. "Now, don't bother struggling, because those cuffs are very sturdy."

He was as silent as a bat, and just as unreadable. His lips were pressed together tightly, and his shoulders were tense. He could break free instantly, the cuffs were of no real concern, but he needed her trust. Batman almost had her trust, and he would let her go as far as she wished, until she tried to reveal his identity, then it would be game over.

Her slender fingers ran over the sleek surface of his utility belt. "You don't need this," she said, and smirked, winking at him as she removed it, and slung it over her shoulder. "This is a nice toy, perhaps I'll keep it."

"Don't do anything stupid, Katherine," he growled. His utility belt was something that he didn't allow anyone to take, and when it was removed, so was a majority of his power. He began to test his restraints, preparing to snap them open.

"Bats, don't play with me," she cooed. "As much as I love your get-up, I'd like to see that face of yours. Maybe I'll play with these toys later," she teased, patting his utility belt lightly.

"Katherine, stop," he was pleading, but not convincingly enough for Kate to believe his sincerity.

"No." Kate placed both hands on either side of his head, and slid the mask up.

Snap.

He broke the cuffs around his wrists, and caught her arms just as the mask was pulled off of his face. He tightened his grip on her arms, but released it when he realized that nothing could be done to keep her from seeing his face.

The familiar frown on his face, the piercing gaze, and his recognizable features easily distinguished him as her boss, Bruce Wayne. Kate's heart pounded wildly, and a burst of anger rushed through her.

She stared at him, and then took a step back. "I can't believe you," she breathed. The smooth skin of her hand met with the side of his face in a hard, rough slap. "How dare you...lie to me!" She gritted her teeth, and slapped him again. She had been under the impression that Bruce Wayne was nothing more than a womanizing, billionaire, incapable of taking care of himself.

"I never lied to you," Bruce replied softly. "There's a reason why you can't know who I am. That's why I have a mask."

Kate watched him for a long moment, and then walked away, her shoulders tense. "Take your mask," she said coldly, and tossed it at his chest. Without looking at him, she kept her back towards him, keeping her emotions hidden. "We have business to do."

Bruce watched her, and then stood beside her. "You're against staying behind in order to gather intelligence?" he said quietly.

"I am," she crossed her arms over her chest. It was not her policy to allow others to take care of her, and expect her to do nothing. She was in charge of making sure that she was okay, it was her responsibility, not his. Absently, she tapped her fingers against the smooth surface of his utility belt, which was still draped over her shoulder.

"That's mine," he muttered in annoyance, and tugged at the utility belt secured around her body. When she turned away, and huffed, he narrowed his eyes. "Katherine, give it back."

"Well aren't you a demanding little cur," she snapped. "You're Bru-"

His hand was clamped over her mouth in an instant. "Not a word," he breathed. "Anyone could be listening right now." While he had swept the room for any possible bugs, there was always the chance that she had been followed, and that they were listening.

Kate glared at him angrily, and shoved his hand away. "I'm keeping your toys. You're rich enough to get more."

"Hand it over," he growled, holding out his hand. He had returned to his Batman persona, the deep, gravelly tone overtaking the much smoother, baritone that Kate recognized.

"Fine." Kate smirked, and then stepped backwards, examining the belt. "I'll just take this..." as she spoke, she pulled out a batarang, and placed it in her pocket. "And this," she continued with her antics, and walked backwards as he approached her. By the time that he had her pressed back against the wall, she had emptied several compartments on his belt. She patted his chest lightly, and firmly pushed against him. "Back away from me," she said stiffly, and her lips pulled together in a tight line.

Bruce sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Number one rule of fighting, never get backed into a corner," he commented, and shook his head. He took a step back, giving her the space that she clearly desired."Now hand it over. I'm not kidding."

"Here." She tossed him the belt, and shot him an icy stare. There were several things that Kate Matthews did not like, and being pushed into a corner was one of them. "If we're going to work together, I'm going to tell you something, and you'd better listen to me." She stalked forward, and smirked, watching as he warily backed away from her advance.

"I do not let other people take care of my business while I do nothing. I will help you, and you will accept it." She came to a stop when he did, and she leaned up, her face dangerously close to his. "And if you ever chase me into a corner again, I will hurt you." Her ice blue eyes locked with his for a long moment, and she smiled sweetly. "Do you understand?"

Bruce nodded, answering silently. He took her threat seriously, and it seemed that he had just lost her trust. "Mister Wayne will be dropping by your place tomorrow," he said curtly, wanting to avoid putting Batman and Bruce Wayne together. Bruce Wayne was allowed to be the womanizer that Batman would never be. It was a blessing, to have the alter ego that truly displayed who he was. As Rachel had once put it, Wayne was his mask, and Batman was his true face.

"Tell him that I will be waiting to have an in-depth conversation with him about business," Kate replied. It seemed that the business that they had intended on discussing had been pushed back, due to Kate's insistence as to his identity.

"Anything else?" He asked.

"There will be hell to pay," Kate said icily. "That's everything." Without another word, she closed the door behind her, and returned to the cold, dark world that greeted her. Time to think would help, as well as fresh air to clear her head.

Bruce Wayne was Batman. How had she not seen this coming?

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**Once again, your reviews are fantastic, and I'm glad that you've enjoyed it :)**


	12. Chapter Twelve: Apologies

So, I wrote a majority of this chapter the night before, and when I woke up this morning to finish it, I came across the rather ironic discovery of my music choice. While I wrote this chapter, I was listening to the score of The Amazing Spider-Man (Which, by the way, is an amazing movie, and I can safely say that it tickled my inner comic book lover, as well as rekindled my love for my first superhero. (Batman was the second)). This chapter is more...fluffy, and less angry/physical. I figured it was about time for the characters to try and get along with each other, get a chance to talk, and a chance to display a little affection (A little love/fluff is good for the soul).

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Anger was never a viable solution for Kate, and so she was greatly perturbed as to why she was so upset. She had drowned the events of the previous night with a bottle of wine that she had been saving for a better occasion. Now, her head felt like it was going to split open, and she was waiting impatiently for Bruce to show up.

After sitting on her bed for another twenty minutes, she got up, and disappeared into her bathroom, deciding that taking a shower would help pass the time. Her door was locked securely, so she would refrain from singing in the shower in order to hear the knock that would signal Bruce's arrival. She turned the water on, stripped her clothes off, and climbed under the cold water that she had gotten used to when she had first purchased the apartment.

The cold water intensified the pain in her head, along with the annoyance that had been feeding her hundred and one reasons to be upset with Bruce. However, it was becoming an old game, to be the cold, angry woman that she had to be in order to keep people away from her. Especially when the person who should stay away wouldn't.

She huffed, and dragged a hand through her hair. She had made a fool of herself, thinking that he was incapable of taking care of himself. "He's Batman, of course he can take care of himself, you moron," she muttered when she turned the water off.

"That's a detail that you weren't supposed to know." His voice came from her bedroom, and she jumped in surprise.

Kate stepped out of the bathroom, her towel wrapped securely around her body, and shot him a tired look. "You know, there's this thing, called knocking," she murmured, and ran a hand through her wet hair. "It would be nice if you tried to make your presence known, Bruce."

"Kind of you to greet me naked," he commented, and smirked. "What's the occasion." He was sprawled out on her bed, his arms tucked under his head. He was wearing jeans, and a green polo, an extremely attractive combination on him.

"It's my apartment, I can do whatever I want," Kate snapped in annoyance. "I won't be naked for long. My clothes are-" she paused, an sighed heavily. He was laying over her nicely folded clothing, on purpose if she was reading his smirk right. "Get off of my bed."

"Not until you answer one question," Bruce replied.

"What is it?" Kate walked around to the side of the bed, and tapped her foot impatiently.

Bruce shrugged, and looked her over, smiling pleasantly.

When he didn't respond, she poked at his side, and then, crossed her arms. She huffed angrily, like a small child would when they didn't get their way. "Fine. I'll get something different," she grumbled, but just as she turned in the direction of her closet, he leaped up, grabbed her from behind, whirled her around, and laid her down on the bed. He grinned, and leaned over her, his arms resting on either side of her head.

Kate's hands instinctively gripped the top of her towel, her eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing?" she gasped, looking up at him curiously.

"How mad are you?" he asked, and smiled slightly, his face inches from hers. "Because, normally, I'd assume that you'd knee me in the balls for doing that to you."

"Very astute observation," Kate replied, and shook her head slightly. His close proximity to her face had her flustered, and her heart was thumping as loudly as a war drum. "I'm upset with you, Bruce, but more upset with myself."

"Why?" He planted a kiss on the tip of her nose, and winked.

"Because..." Kate trailed off, not entirely sure how to answer him. When he pressed his lips against hers, she had an excuse to say nothing, and act. It was a sweet kiss, and an apologetic one. Her heart pounded in her chest, and nervous butterflies erupted in her stomach. There were so many things that she wished could have been different for them. If her past had been different, maybe things would have worked out better.

"So why are you upset at yourself?" Bruce asked again softly, pulling away from her.

"It's easier to be mad at myself, then it is you," she admitted quietly. "Is that all you wanted to know? Because for someone who's risking a serious sexual harassment charge, that was a very poor question."

Bruce smirked. "You'd really charge me with sexual harassment, Miss Matthews?"

"Can we talk when I have clothes on?" she inquired, smirking at his question. "Because as much as I enjoy this, it's cold, I have a headache, and I'd really like my comfortable clothes on."

Bruce arched a brow, and the corner of his lips quirked up. "Did I just hear you say you enjoy this?" he teased, and tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah, you heard me right," Kate replied, and gently patted his chest. "Now get off of me, before I do hurt you."

Bruce obliged, and rolled off of her, yawning loudly as he settled back onto her bed. "This is a nice bed, but not as nice as mine," he commented.

Kate rolled her eyes, and scooped up the jeans, and shirt she had left on her bed the night before. Without looking back at him, she went into her bathroom, and pulled her clothes on. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she shook her head. Instead of the frown that she had thought was on her face, she was wearing a stupid grin, one that Bruce Wayne had put there.

Perhaps it was time to explain why she was so guarded. Maybe it was time for them to come to an impasse, time for them to understand each other. She wandered back into the room, and climbed onto the bed. "So, you came over to do what? Sexually harass me and talk?" She smiled, and put her hands in her lap, watching him expectantly.

"Kate...listen," he carefully reached for her hand, expecting her to move it away. She didn't, and he covered her much smaller hand with his. "I'm sorry for what I said to you back at the office. I'm also...sorry for not telling you about who I am."

"Don't apologize for something unless you mean it," Kate shrugged.

"I'm being serious, Kate," Bruce argued. "I didn't-"

Kate held up a hand, and shook her head. "Let me finish," she requested. "You're Batman. You can't apologize for my tenacity. I act on impulse, and I should not have done what I did last night. You have every right to be mad because of my actions."

Bruce blinked, and then chuckled. "You think I'm upset about that?" he asked, looking dubious. "Kate, as much as I hate being unmasked by the occasional damsel, I'm not mad. I'm worried."

"You're commonly accosted by other women, and then unmasked?" Kate inquired playfully, ignoring the damsel comment. "Why are you so worried? I can take care of myself, at least, I try my best."

Bruce pursed his lips, and then rolled onto his back, avoiding eye contact with her. "When I returned to Gotham, I had to become something other than flesh, something incorruptible," he murmured. "Batman cannot have friends. Nor can Bruce Wayne. Those closest to me have the most to lose. If something were to happen to you..."

"Stop." Kate stretched out on the bed, and then moved to rest her head on his chest. "You don't have to apologize for anything. I egged you on by my comment. Cameron threatened me, and, over the years, I've found that the best way to keep people out of your life is to hurt them," she sounded ashamed. "I'm sorry. However, I can't have you fighting him alone. It isn't fair for you to have to clean up the mess that I made. If you're going to go after him, then I'm coming with."

Bruce watched her for a moment, and smiled faintly. "You were right about me, though."

Kate shook her head, and opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly shushed by the man laying next to her.

"You do realize that I've never really had a serious relationship, right?" Bruce said calmly, his hand moving through her hair gently. "I can't stay away from you, Katherine, but I should. We're both thinking the same thing. We're a danger to one another. Bruce Wayne can have quick relationships, but when the sun goes down, he's Batman, and if anyone were to know that, they would use the closest thing to him to bring him down."

"And I'm worried about my father, and all of the people I've wronged when I was younger. Like Cameron, they aren't afraid to make threats on the people that I get close too." They were both hurting, in their own ways. Kate could not trust, and Bruce was afraid. "The only relationship I've ever had was with Cameron. You're an annoying cur, but you have several redeeming qualities."

Bruce went silent, continually running his fingers through her hair, and brushing them down her face. After a long moment, Kate captured his hand in hers. "Bruce, just talk," she prompted. It was obvious by his distracted hands that he was trying to contain something. "We've got all day, but you're distracted...what's on your mind?"

"I genuinely like you, and want you to trust me." Bruce said softly, and held onto her. "I'm so tired of being afraid of these things, Kate. I shouldn't be afraid of the past, but I am. You're independent, smart, and beautiful, which terrifies me. There are so many things about you that make me think that I've found someone worth pursuing, and not just taking out to boring events so I look like a careless, womanizing billionaire." He continued to speak, more for his own benefit than her own, solving his problems out verbally.

Kate listened to him, but soon, his words became a slew of incoherent thoughts, and she drifted into a light sleep. The pain of her headache had dulled, but intensified when she was woken to the instant chill that replaced Bruce's warmth when he got up. "Where are you going?" Kate mumbled, sitting up.

A loud series of bleeps rang out through her apartment, and Kate glanced over at her laptop, which she had left on for security purposes. It kept track of all movement outside of the building, and anything hostile. It was a system that she had helped design back at Elite Industries, and so far, it worked like a charm. Small, microscopic cameras were attached to different parts of her building, which helped give Kate a full, unobstructed view of the street level from the safety of her home.

Bruce had pulled back the drapes to look outside, "We should go for a walk," he said, and glanced over at her. His innocent smile fell when he saw the horrified look on her face. "What is it?"

A loud, harsh alarm sounded from her computer, and Kate threw herself at Bruce without hesitation. The glass window shattered behind her, and the bullet meant for him ripped through her shoulder. Kate slammed to the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around him. "Don't get up," she whispered. "Don't do...anything. Stay still." She rolled off of him, and shut her eyes tightly. Shock and adrenaline kept her from feeling the pain in her shoulder, but her fear had her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "We need to get out of here."

"Shit," Bruce was looking around, trying to see where the bullet had gone, when his eyes landed on the woman who had just saved his life, and the crimson bloodstain on her shirt. "Kate!" He sat up, and leaned over her, carefully examining her shoulder.

"Damn it, Bruce!" Kate hissed, swatting his hand away. "Get down. Someone's trying to kill you," she gasped, pressing a hand to her shoulder. "Now, if you're smart, you'll go Batman, and climb out that window."

"Funny, Kate," Bruce said quietly. "I'm not leaving you, now come on." Bruce got to his feet, and helped her up. "Can you walk?"

Kate nodded, and motioned to the door. "The shooter was in the building across the street. If we run, we'll get to the bottom level before he does."

"Then let's go," Bruce quickly escorted her out of the room, and followed her down the two flights of stairs that led to the ground level. "When we get out of the door, get into the back seat, and lie down. Understood?" He paused, and looked at her.

Kate bit her lip to keep herself from saying something she'd later regret. "Bruce, let me drive," she held up her hand to keep him from protesting. "They want to kill you, not me."

Bruce shook his head, and pushed the door open. "Just listen to me, Kate," he demanded, breaking into a run when they were out in the open. He came to a stop a few feet away from the car when he spotted five hulking men surrounding his vehicle. "Kate..." he instinctively put himself between her and the men, but then reminded himself that she was capable of fighting too. "You take the two on the left, and I'll handle the rest." He turned his head slightly, noticing the black car parked beside his. They weren't there to kill them, but there to transport them, it would seem. "

Kate grinned, and bowed her head. "No problem," she replied.

They split up, and Kate stalked her specified prey, a soft smirk gracing her features. She clenched her fists at her side, ignoring the dull pain in her shoulder as she prepared to use both of her arms to defeat her opponents. One man stayed back, while the other came rushing forward. Kate slammed her fist against his face, breaking his nose on impact.

The man stumbled back, and remained a few feet out of her reach. This was too easy, but when she glanced back at the second man, she realized that one was meant to be a distraction, while the other got the job done. The second man held a pipe in his hands, and just as Kate was about to throw her arms up, it smashed against the side of her head. Kate staggered backwards, and then tumbled to the ground. The last thing she saw was the sight of Bruce Wayne putting his hands up in surrender, and seeing them shove him into the back of their vehicle.

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Thank you so much for the reviews, and I hope you liked this. I appreciate the reviews, and all of the input you guys give me :)


	13. Chapter Thirteen: In The Lion's Den

**Sorry to leave on such a cliffhanger (Well, not so sorry, since it's what I do ;D). On the brighter side, there's a new chapter, and on the even brighter, more dazzling side...The Dark Knight Rises is coming out in three (almost two) days. Yes, I've been going through the stages of anticipation...like curling up in my bed, with my Batman blanket, shirts, socks, and underwear (yes, I actually do own a lot of Batman apparel) just to read through the comics that I own. I even had a conversation with a man at a car dealership about Batman!**

**I'm super excited. This past week, and this current one have been very busy, so getting to work on this has been a challenge. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm quite cruel, so I do enjoy beating up my characters, well, define 'beating up' ;)**

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Drip drop. Drip drop.

Kate woke to the sound of constant dripping, and she groaned quietly, her entire body tense. When she opened her eyes, she came to realize that the source of the dripping was from her gunshot wound, and the gash on her forehead. With a grunt, she forced herself out of her hunched position, and into a sitting one. Her ankles were tied to a chair, and her hands were bound behind her back, creating a tremendous amount of pain in her injured shoulder. "Bruce?" she murmured. "Bruce?"

"I'm fine," he replied. In the dim room, Kate finally managed to spot him in the exact same predicament as she was. Fastened firmly to a chair, and unable to move, lest he wanted to possibly identify himself as Batman.

"I'm assuming that we're stuck here, then?" Kate murmured, reading the frown on his face with ease. "You should have gone when I made the suggestion."

Bruce snorted in amusement. "We just had that discussion. We're in this together."

"Where are we?" Kate asked quietly. They were in a cold room, surrounded by four brick walls with varying degrees of mold and rot clothing them. The lights were all broken, save for one flickering light bulb that provided a poor source of light.

"Arkham Asylum," Bruce answered.

Kate's eyes widened, and she glanced at the thick, iron door keeping them in. "I'm guessing it's locked?"

"I wouldn't know, I'm tied up," Bruce pointed out flatly. This was the worst scenario for him. He had to pretend to be Bruce Wayne, a man who used his money to get things done. He couldn't have the advanced fighting skills that Batman did, much to his distaste. If he had his way, he would have been out of his restraints in a moment, and out of the building within seconds. However, he had to play along, mainly for the safety of his companion. "Are you okay? How bad are you injuries?"

"I'll live," Kate promised. "I'm just bleeding...and in pain."

"So how bad is this Cameron fellow?" Bruce asked. "You never told me."

Kate glanced around the room, searching for any signs of a recording device in the room. She spotted one in the far corner of the room, and sighed. "Just shut up!" Kate snapped. She shot him a wary look, and glanced back at the camera again. "I'm done talking to you."

Bruce caught her warning glance, and nodded. "Fine," he replied loudly. He glanced around the room, examining the dim corners for the camera that she was obviously acting for. A grimace appeared on his face, and he shook his head. His wounds were fairly superficial, and not nearly as bad as Kate's were. A split lip, and a bruised jaw was nothing to complain about.

Kate looked him over, and dropped her head slightly. "Sorry," she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.

Bruce grunted, testing his restraints. They were tight enough to keep an average person restrained, but for him, it would be easy to break out of. However, how fit was a billionaire supposed to be? He sighed in frustration, and caught Kate's eyes. "If anything happens, I have to try," he finally said.

Kate shook her head, and was about to warn him against it when the heavy metal door swung open.

Dressed in a professional, dark, three buttoned suit, Cameron Crane looked like he was ready to attend a business meeting. Or perhaps, a fundraiser for his campaign. He wore a smug look on his face as he walked around his two prisoners. He was quite pleased with himself, in fact. A man of his word, Cameron had been looking forward to see what Kate would do, and she had not disappointed him.

"What do you want?" Kate inquired, not playing around with him.

"What would you do to keep me from hurting him?" Cameron asked coolly, smirking as he approached Bruce. "Information, perhaps?" There was nothing he desired, just revenge for his family.

Kate stared at the wall, her face clean of emotions. "Do whatever you wish. I have no feelings for him. He came to me, I stayed away." Perhaps being withdrawn would help. She was telling him the truth, but she doubted it would work.

"I don't believe you," Cameron replied. He slammed his fist against Bruce's face, and then again, and again.

Bruce did nothing. He just gritted his teeth, and accepted the assault. If he broke free, it would complicate things on an entirely different level. No normal man was going to be able to snap his bonds, and possibly the chair in two, unless they spent their time practicing such things, which, Bruce had done at one point in his life.

"Stop," Kate said quietly. "Just stop." When Cameron did not cease in his brutal attack on Bruce, Kate snarled, and struggled wildly. "Stop it!" Her tone had escalated to a scream. "Leave him along, you bastard! Melanie deserved to die!" The latter comment was a lie, but in her desperation, she said the one thing that she knew would anger him most.

He stalked forward, the wicked grin replaced by a furious, burning look. "What did you say?" He asked, clamping a hand down on her injured shoulder, fingers digging into her flesh.

Kate sucked in a sharp breath at the contact, and smiled weakly. "You heard me." Kate winced when he put more pressure against her shoulder. This was the man that had decided to kill her, rather than let her leave.

Cameron brought his arm back, and slammed his fist into her stomach. "Say it again," he hissed. After a long second, he whipped his hand across her face, and then knotted his hand in her hair, holding her head back. "You will pay. I'm a man of my word, Katherine. But first, I have a billionaire who couldn't keep his hands off of you to kill."

"You seem angry, Cammy," Kate taunted, using a childish nickname that she knew he despised. "What's wrong? Not getting the right therapy from Doctor Crane?"

"Or are you getting the wrong drugs from him?" Bruce asked. When they had entered Arkham, he had been blindfolded, but Bruce could smell the strange, pungent odors that emanated from the lower levels of the building, making him suspicious of what was going on at Arkham. Along with the odor, the floor still rumbled and trembled, almost as if something were exploding. "Or are you mining for gold in your basement?"

Cameron grinned wickedly, and his free hand slid into his pocket, where he retrieved his knife. He flicked out the blade, and traced the jagged edge along the side of Kate's pale skin. "I will hurt you, and I will kill him. I can't kill you, because you're friends with The Batman. But you won't remember a thing when you leave here. I can't have you telling him about my plans." He was afraid of the masked vigilante, but more afraid that the things he wanted to accomplish would be foiled by the annoying bat. The damage he had planned to do to her would scar her so much, that she'd be terrified to speak at all. That was something that both he and his brother were good at, making the stable become unstable.

"What are your plans?" Kate asked, and smiled innocently. "What can you possibly gain from being Gotham's Mayor?

"To make the world my own," he said, and grinned. "I have nothing left to lose in life, and so I will do whatever it takes to make this grand city come to its knees. You forget the things that they've done to my family, when they exiled the Crane's from this city because of a foolish mistake my father made. How the people treated us, and looked down on us until we were out of their lives."

_"Some people just want to watch the world burn,"_ Bruce murmured absently. While Cameron had his back to him, Bruce had managed to quietly free one of his hands from their bonds. Now, he was hunched forward, cutting away at his other restraints with the knife in his pocket.

"That's very true, Mister Wayne," Cameron said, but kept his attention on Kate, who was eyeing the jagged blade warily whenever he waved it in front of her face. It was unavoidable. The one thing that frightened Kate more than anything else was Cameron, and his cold heart. He bent forward, and smirked. "Don't move," he whispered in her ear. The smirk grew into a sinister grin as he pushed the blade of his knife into her abdomen. It wasn't a quick stab though, Cameron Crane was sadistic, and he took his time. He also knew the body inside and out, so if he wanted to, he could stab her a hundred times, and not damage any major organs.

Kate's entire body tensed up, but she kept her gaze locked with his. The more time he spent distracted with her, the more time Bruce had to get out of his restraints. "Did you know that when someone uses a knife, it's because they're impotent," she grunted, sucking in a sharp breath. "Poor Cameron, can't catch a break, can you?"

"You know I'm not," Cameron replied. "Relax, Katherine, it makes the knife go in so much...easier," he gave it a sharp twist, and she arched forward, a pained cry slipping past her lips. "I'm going easy on you, but wait till you see what I do to Mister Wayne."

"You won't be doing anything to me, Mister Crane," Bruce towered behind him, and snapped a leg off of the chair. He was fast, and when Cameron twisted around, he caught him squarely in the jaw with the thick, wooden beam. While Cameron was hunched forward, Bruce dropped the board, grabbed Cameron's shoulders, and drove his knee up into his gut.

Cameron grunted, and went still on the ground.

"Are you all right?" Bruce asked quietly, quickly putting all of his attention on Kate. He carefully took the knife out of her abdomen, and used it to cut the ropes wound around her wrists and ankles. After she was free, he thoughtlessly tossed it down beside Cameron's still form.

"I'm good," Kate murmured, her shoulders slumping forward. She was woozy, and exhausted, but when she looked up at Bruce, her eyes widened in terror. "Look out!"

Her warning came too late, and the chair leg that Bruce had used as a weapon was now in the hands of Cameron, and had connected with the back of Bruce's head. The tall, well built billionaire dropped to the ground, but he swung his feet out and around, sending Cameron Crane crashing to his feet.

Without thought, Bruce pinned Cameron to the ground, and slammed his fist into the man's face. Again, his fist connected with the side of Cameron's face, and each punch that followed was fueled by a superficial rage that would soon disappear. Bruce Wayne did not appreciate being kidnapped, much less having the woman he cared about beaten in front of him.

When Bruce's hands secured themselves around Cameron's neck, cutting off his supply of oxygen, Cameron did the only thing that he could. With his knife clenched tightly in his hand, he rammed it up into Bruce's stomach once, and then again when Bruce made no attempt to stop him.

_Alfred is going to kill me,_ Bruce thought absently, his rage, and the adrenaline in his body helped him ignore the blinding pain, and focus on the task at hand. Bruce kept his hands wrapped firmly around Cameron's neck, counting silently in his head until the man beneath him went still, his hands limp at his sides. His index finger sought out a pulse, and, much to his disgust, the man was alive.

"Did you kill him?" Kate asked quietly. She was leaning forward, her hands resting against her knees. She didn't even bother trying to cover the gushing wound that stained her shirt crimson.

"No." Bruce rose to his feet, and winced. He didn't even think to look at his own wounds, and scooped his battered companion up into his arms. "We're leaving now, Kate. Everything will be fine."

"He hit your head...are you all right?" Kate mumbled, her head lolling to one side. Her face was ghostly, and it seemed nearly impossible for her to keep her eyes open. "You're bleeding..."

"Yeah, he stabbed me," Bruce told her, pulling the heavy, iron door open.

"What?" Kate had been referring to the blood dripping from his nose, and from the cut on his forehead. She sounded alarmed, well, as alarmed as someone who was ready to pass out from blood loss could sound. "Let me walk..."

"Not happening," he answered, looking around when he stepped out into the hallway. Light filtered in through the dirty windows, coloring the yellowed, dingy walls with a dim light.

"Use this." Kate slowly pulled a small, round, black device from her pocket, and smiled weakly. "I borrowed it."

Kate had, indeed, removed some useful things from his utility belt the night before, including a small device that could cause a explosion strong enough to blast open a wall. Something Batman had used in the Asylum before. "You rascally girl," he muttered.

"Figured they would come in handy," she replied, laughing weakly.

"Just hang on," Bruce murmured, tossing the explosive at the wall before them, and turning away from it to shield Kate from the loud, ringing explosion that followed. Alarms blared, and muffled screaming came from the rooms around them, but Bruce ignore everything, and stepped out into the street.

People stopped to stare, but, since it was The Narrows, they quickly returned to their business, more frightened than anything of what was emerging from the inside of the asylum. Bruce kept his head bent low, and Kate's body tight against his chest, concerned for her safety, as well as the possibility of people recognizing him.

When a man steps out of Arkham Asylum, carrying a nearly unconscious woman, people almost always notice. But when Bruce Wayne is that man? Call the paparazzi, or Gotham's tabloids, and you'll be guaranteed the front page of the morning edition. He walked briskly down the streets, zigzagging through the people that were more than content with bumping into him. His own vision was blurry, and he could feel warm blood soaking his clothing. When she did not respond, he stopped, and lowered her to the ground. He whipped out his phone, and dialed 9-1-1, waiting impatiently for them to give him what he wanted.

_"Please state your emergency."_

"This is Bruce Wayne. I have a woman who has been shot, beaten, and stabbed. She's lost a lot of blood, and I need an ambulance right away." He said calmly, pressing his free hand against Kate's stomach. It was the wound that called for the most attention.

_"You will need to move to a different location. Our vehicles will not travel within the-"_

"I don't give a damn if your vehicles don't want to come out here! She's going to die, and if you don't have someone out here within two minutes, I'll sue Gotham for everything it's worth, and then some!" Bruce said angrily. "This is Bruce Wayne. Send an ambulance."

_"Right away, Mister Wayne. We have a GPS location, and we'll have someone there shortly."_

He was shocked that they actually took his threat seriously, but he was greateful that they had. It was almost unrealistic, but then again, he was Bruce Wayne, and almost everyone in Gotham city new it.

Bruce hung up, and called the person who was always the first on his speed dial: Alfred. "Alfred, can you meet me at the hospital?" Bruce asked quietly. "But first, I need you to drop by Kate's apartment, and dispose of several...urm, items." He was referring to the equipment that she had stolen from his utility belt, and had carelessly left sitting out on her kitchen table.

_"You sound a bit tired, Master Wayne, is everything all right? You haven't gotten into any trouble, have you?"_

"Kate's hurt," he twisted his head to one side when the sound of sirens had the people in the streets skittering to the sides of it. The roads were much more narrow, but Bruce had stopped at an area not far from the bridges connecting Gotham and The Narrows.

_"How bad?"_

"Bad." Bruce hung up when the ambulance came to a stop, and the doors burst open. Bruce carefully handed Kate off to the paramedic, and then climbed into the ambulance. "Just take care of her," he commanded the paramedic. "I'm fine."

"Sir, you're Bruce-" The paramedic had actually stopped his attempts to fix Kate, and had turned his attention onto Bruce.

"I don't care!" Bruce snapped. "Don't let her die!" His fuse was short, and he didn't care if he bled to death in the back of the ambulance. If Kate died, he would never forgive himself. He should have been protecting her.

The paramedic went silent, and then began to work on Kate, as Bruce had demanded.

"Don't blame yourself," Kate whispered, her hand hanging off the edge of the stretcher limply. "It's not your fault."

Bruce just stared at her, his eyes telling her more than he could ever say with his mouth. This was his fault. He carefully held onto her hand, his free hand pressed firmly to his own wounds.

"Not your fault," Kate breathed, and her eyes fluttered shut.

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**Yes. I did just leave you on another nasty cliff. I'M SORRY. I had to end it this way...because I'm so tired/exhausted/busy. Please read, and review! Your reviews are so helpful, and to be honest, I'm not sure where to take this story.**

**So...feel free to throw some ideas into the boiling pot. I know what I want to do with Kate and Bruce, but Cameron is kind of a wild card, and I'm still working on his evil scheme.**

**And have fun at the movie. I will be seeing it at 12:01 Friday morning, with my best friend :)**


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Rumor Has It

**Well. I've seen The Dark Knight Rises three times now, and I can say, without a doubt, that it exceeded my high expectations. I was pleased with the film, and glad that they kept (Spoilerspoilerspoiler) You-know-Who as You-Know-Who's child. So, I did see that coming.**

**On a much more grim note, when I woke up in the morning to go babysit, I was shocked at the amount of talk surrounding TDKR. Especially when I realized that it wasn't about the film, but about the shootings that occurred in Colorado. I hope that all those involved will be okay, and that they will be able to rise back up to normalcy again.**

**Thank you for reading.**

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Bruce had stumbled into the hospital, belligerently arguing that he wouldn't leave Kate's side until he knew that she was all right. However, by the time Alfred had gotten there, and calmed him down, Kate had been whisked away. Soon, he was rushed into surgery, and the wounds he had sustained from the fight were fixed.

Gotham General did not care if he was Bruce Wayne. He had not been allowed to see Kate for two days, and had been stuck in his own room, recuperating from three stab wounds, a broken rib, and a concussion. Now, he was pacing around the hospital bed, his hands shoved into the deep pockets of his silk robe.

An issue of Gotham's most famous tabloid was sitting atop his blankets, a photo of Bruce exiting the ambulance, his shirt, along with his face, and arms were covered in blood. They had even printed the issue in color, just to intensify the crimson color.

_** Billionaire Bruce Wayne Admitted to Gotham General After Attempting to Murder Woman**_

_**It is not yet clear why Bruce Wayne was admitted to Gotham General, but witnesses claim that he was seen stumbling through The Narrows with a young woman. After further investigation, witnesses have come forth to describe the horrific altercation that occurred between Wayne and the unknown woman. According to statements collected, Wayne shot her, and then stabbed her multiple times before calling an ambulance. Speculation regarding the billionaire child of Martha and Thomas Wayne has arisen, especially in regards to his mental stability. Prior to being admitted into the hospital several days ago, Wayne was seen entering Arkham Asylum. Hours later, he was seen leaving the establishment, and proceeded to physically assault the woman. **_

_** Those working with Wayne describe that he has been hostile as of late, as well as almost impossible to work with. However, both Wayne Enterprises, and Bruce Wayne's representatives say they have no comment on the issue. **_

_** Several photos taken by witnesses have surfaced, and are featured below.**_

The photographs that followed were ones of Bruce's furious face as he argued with the paramedic, and then one of his rubbing at his face. There were more photographs, but Bruce threw the paper back down before looking at the rest of them. Bruce knew that none of his employees would ever speak badly of him, but the public had never looked on him with a favorable eye to begin with, and the last thing he wanted to be recognized as was a psychopath.

"This is complete crap, Alfred!" Bruce said. "I don't even have 'representatives' for myself."

"It's only a tabloid, Master Wayne," Alfred replied. "The Gotham Times has ran a story about it, on the seventh page, and all it says is that you were admitted to Gotham General after being mugged, and are on your way to a speedy recovery. You can thank Mister Fox for the official statement on behalf of Wayne Enterprises."

Bruce nodded, but continued to pace around angrily. "Why would anyone in their right mind think I attacked Kate?" He dragged a hand through his hair, and huffed. "Damn it, Alfred! Why won't they let me see her?"

"Master Wayne, will you just lie down?" Alfred asked, sounding exasperated. "Miss Katherine will be fine, the nurses said that everything was looking hopeful."

"Then why won't they let me see her, Alfred?" Bruce snapped. "Sorry," he apologized almost immediately for snapping. His annoyance was the fault of the hospital, not Alfred.

"Sir, I have no-" Just as Alfred was about to begin another round of consoling, a petite, red-haired nurse walked into the room.

"Mister Wayne? You've taken your I.V. out again," she said with a sigh. "Please, get back into bed, and let me re-attach your heart monitor, as well."

"Just let me see Miss Matthews," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Please. I'm fine. All these gadgets are pointless now," he protested, and motioned to all of the monitors and machines that he had been hooked up to over the past few days.

"Sir, as the other nurses have told you, unless you are part of her immediate family, you will have to wait." The other nurses had warned her about Bruce, and she had come prepared.

"I am her family," Bruce replied quickly.

"You are?" The nurse arched a brow, and glanced over at Alfred.

"I'm her fiancée," Bruce answered confidently.

"Well, if that's the case, then...there's several things you should be informed of," the nurse began. "She is on the third floor, but Miss Mathews is meeting with Doctor Crane. When her assessment is completed, you can go see her."

"Doctor Crane? Assessment?" Bruce frowned, and moved towards the door of his room. After Gotham General had been destroyed by the Joker, they had created a much larger, more spacious hospital, with several floors. Their third floor was set aside for all mentally unstable patients. Without asking another question, Bruce moved past the nurse, and marched out into the hallway. He ignored all of her warnings for him to stop, and he easily entered the stairwell, and broke into a jog. He was going to regret doing so later, but he was more concerned with Kate than he was with himself.

The room was deathly silent, and Doctor Crane was sitting on the chair next to her bed, hands resting on the briefcase in his lap.

Kate was still asleep, her arms wrapped around herself tightly, as if she was keeping herself together while she slept. Her back was turned to the door, and her shoulders were tense even as she slept.

"Doctor Crane, you were not authorized to remove her restraints," the nurse said sternly, casting a look of disapproval at the restraints lying on the ground. The petite woman had rushed in after Bruce, followed by Alfred, and two burly security guards.

"Miss Matthews is not a danger when unrestrained," Jonathan Crane said. "Only when she is provoked. However, I have filed my report with the hospital, and I believe she should be moved to Arkham for further treatment."

"Get out," Bruce said coldly, not even casting a look at Jonathon Crane. "Alfred, go get the car, we'll be taking Miss Matthews home."

"She will have the best of care, Mister Wayne," Jonathon pointed out. "And she will be quite safe there."

"Get the fuck out of this room," Bruce snarled, whirling around to glare angrily at him. "Or I will remove you myself."

A small, lopsided grin slipped onto the other man's features. He rose up from his seat, grabbed his briefcase, and nodded. "Very well, Mister Wayne. I'm sure we'll be seeing one another very soon."

When Jonathon Crane was gone, along with the two security guards, and Alfred, Bruce turned to look at the nurse. "I don't care about your protocol. I am removing her from this hospital, bringing her home, and having my own doctors care for her."

"You'll need to fill out paperwork," the nurse said. "I will have Nurse Dolores bring it by within the hour."

Bruce nodded, and once she was gone, he took a seat on the edge of Kate's bed, his hands unsure of where to go. Finally, he placed one on her hip, and the other on her shoulder, carefully moving her onto her back. "Kate?" he murmured, concern and worry written all over his face.

Purple bracelets of bruises encircled her wrists, from restraints that had been too tight, and from too much struggle. Anger surged in him, and he clenched his fists together.

"Don't be upset," Kate whispered, when she saw the look on his face. While he hid his anger well, the mask her wore in front of the public was rarely around when she was. "Things got a little crazy in here."

"What happened?" Bruce inquired, carefully holding her hands in his.

"I woke up with the restraints on...and I just freaked out," Kate explained. "It was my fault-"

"No," Bruce immediately stopped her. "They put these on you without cause. You had every right to freak out, if I woke up restrained, I'd be terrified."

Kate smiled faintly, and squeezed his hand gently. "So what did you do to get into this room? I was under the impression that I was being locked in here until I was assessed."

"They can't keep me away from my fiancée," he admitted with a sheepish grin, and shrugged. He kept the visit from Doctor Crane a secret, because he had a feeling that it wouldn't make her feel any better about the situation.

Her quiet, melodic laughter filled the room, and she pressed a hand to her side, grimacing momentarily. "I can't believe you said that," she admitted. "Did threatening them with thousands of lawsuits not work?"

"Hey, being engaged to you wouldn't be that bad," Bruce tossed back.

"Oh, you have no idea," Kate quipped. "How are you?" Her expression grew serious, and she gently tugged on the edge of his robe. "Let me see." He looked mildly disheveled, and it was obvious that he had ran his hands through his hair countless times in the last hour.

"He stabbed me a few times, and gave me a concussion, nothing I can't handle," he reassured her, and captured her hand back in his. "I'm more worried about you."

"I can tell," Kate replied, and reached up to carefully smooth his hair back. "You're looking a little disheveled, Mister Wayne," she teased, closing her eyes for a brief moment. Exhaustion continued to cloud her mind, and kept her body feeling sluggish and tired.

"I've got a lot of things on my mind," he answered. "Including how to take care of a lovely young woman who seems to have her fair share of problems."

For a long moment, Kate was silent, and she blinked tiredly as she watched him.

"Are you okay?" Bruce finally asked. He stroked his fingers across the soft skin of her cheek, and looked at her intently.

Kate nodded, and smiled. "Yeah," she replied. "But I'm ready to go home."

"Home is with me," he said firmly. "I've had some of your things moved to the manor, and Alfred has already set up a room for you-" he paused when she gently squeezed his hand. "Yeah?"

"My home is in The Narrows, Bruce," she murmured. "I can't let Rachel down. She needs us to figure things out, and I can't do that from your home."

"This isn't up for debate, Katherine," Bruce argued gently. "You wouldn't be able to do anything major investigating anyways, because they'll recognize you."

He had a point. Kate couldn't do anything, unless she too had a disguise. "Let me wear a mask," she said calmly.

"Absolutely not," Bruce said flatly. "You...I can't let you get hurt again." There it was. Grief, pain, and fear flitted across his face. He was truly afraid that something would happen to her, and he would be unable to protect her.

Kate looked away, out the window, and into the pouring rain. "All right," she finally said.

There was something odd about how easily she gave up, and Bruce cast a suspicious glance over her. "You're planning something, aren't you?"

A small grin stretched across Kate's pale features, and she shook her head. "I don't know why you'd accuse me of that."

"I'm going to go call Alfred, and fill out the paperwork that needs to get done, I'll be back in a few minutes," Bruce leaned forward, and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Call if you need me." He set her cell phone in her lap, which Alfred had kindly brought to the hospital for her.

As soon as Bruce had cleared the room, she picked up her phone, and called Lucius Fox.

_"This is Lucius Fox."_

"Mister Fox, this is Kate Matthews," she said, her lips curling into a smile.

_"Miss Matthews! I heard that both you, and Mister Wayne were in the hospital," _he was blabbering apologies, and Kate accepted them graciously. There was something in his voice that made Kate think he knew more than he was letting on.

"Mister Fox, I'm in need of a suit," she began. "Now, before you go to all the trouble of steering me clear, I am well aware of what used to be the Applied Sciences department, and I know what you do in your spare time."

_"Perhaps this conversation would be better in private," _Fox replied, and avoided a direct answer.

"Lucius, I know," Kate said, referring to who Bruce was at night. "I'm unable to help him, unless I have a suit of my own. I can't do much while I'm injured, but I need something lightweight, to cover my body. I'm not asking for something as...well, as well enforced as your designs for Gotham's hero, but if you do have anything...urm, feminine, that would be lovely."

_"I'll see what I can do, Miss Matthews. I'm assuming you want me to keep this on the down low?"_

"What Bruce doesn't know won't kill him," Kate answered. "It might surprise him, and anger him, but it's a necessity. Thank you, Lucius." Kate quickly hung up when the door to her room swung open, and proceeded to twiddle her thumbs.

"Who were you talking to?" Bruce asked conversationally, a knowing smile on his lips.

"Myself," Kate answered swiftly, throwing a shrug into the mix. "I was just listening to my messages. Just some from random services, nothing important."

Bruce nodded slightly, and shot her a disbelieving look. "I see," he said. "Well, I couldn't find the nurse, so I figured I'd just break you out of here, Bruce Wayne style." He flashed her one of his priceless grins, wrapped a blanket around her, and scooped her up from the bed. "Besides, we have to feed the hungry tabloids, now that they're all over this incident."

Kate arched a brow, and sighed tiredly. "What are they saying?"

"You don't want to know," Bruce replied. "Alfred is waiting out front for us."

"Let me walk, and put some proper clothes on," she protested weakly. When he finally put her on her feet, she tossed the blanket onto the bed, and disappeared into the bathroom. When she emerged clothed in a pair of grey sweats and a dark sweater, she grinned at the strange look on his face. "What? Did you think I was going to wear a stupid hospital gown back to Wayne Manor? I had Alfred get me a pair of sweatpants and a sweater from the gift shop so I could arrive in style." With a soft laugh, she looped her arm through his, and walked out of the room with him. The sweater would hide the purple bruises around her wrists, which was a blessing when they came to realize how many reporters were waiting for them outside the doors of Gotham General.

Without warning, Kate leaned up, and planted a kiss on Bruce's lips. When the flash of a camera went off, she pulled back, and smiled. "Everyone loves kissing."

"They even stand out in the rain for the best story," Bruce murmured, and shook his head. "Come along," he wrapped his arm protectively around her waist, and kept her close as they walked out into the light rain.

_"Mister Wayne!" _And so the swell of reporters began to burst into loud, raucous questioning.

_ "Bruce, Bruce!"_

_ "Did you really assault her?" _Kate ducked her head, and let her dark hair conceal her face from the photo hungry crowd.

_ "Mister Wayne! Give us a statement!" _

Bruce snapped when one reporter bumped into Kate, and he glared angrily at the man before scooping Kate up into his arms. "You are safer up here," he reasoned. "Keep your face hidden," he whispered.

Kate had been doing that well so far, and she buried her face against Bruce's chest instantly. She knew that if the media caught sight of her, and didn't know who she was, they would search diligently for the answer. The last thing she wanted was to be recognized as Katherine Marcus.

"Master Wayne!" Alfred was standing just beyond the slew of reporters, the back door of the black vehicle open.

"Let's go home," Bruce murmured, and pushed past the last line of reporters with ease. He carefully placed Kate down, and then climbed into the back, eagerly shutting the door when he was finished.

"Good thing you have tinted windows," Kate commented.

"Why?"

Kate grinned, and walked her fingers down his chest. "What are you wearing under this flimsy robe, Mister Wayne?"

Bruce rolled his eyes, and chuckled, grabbing her hands. "Practically nothing, Miss Matthews. However, we are not the only two in this vehicle, and I don't think either of us should be doing anything strenuous."

Kate pouted playfully, and winked. "I'm only teasing," she replied. "Maybe next time."

"Oh, Miss Matthews, you're doing more than teasing," Bruce commented quietly. "Don't make promises you don't want to keep."

"Who says I wouldn't like to make sheet music with my handsome boyfriend?" Kate inquired, acting like it was a completely natural thing to say. The insinuation was there, though, and it came as a surprise to Bruce.

Bruce caught sight of Alfred's stunned expression in the front seat, and Bruce shook his head. "Ouch. We've dropped from engaged to dating?" he teased, ignoring her question.

"It's better than what we had before, don't you think?" Kate leaned against him, her head resting atop his shoulder.

"That is very true." Bruce closed his eyes, and smiled.

Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy, had a girlfriend.

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**Thanks for reading, and I tried to not leave this chapter on such a cliffhanger! I needed a little fluff.**

**For those of you rooting for Kate to get a suit, I caved, and decided that I would go that route.**

**On one other note, I would like to know how many people would be offended by a M rated chapter. I will, however, respect anyone's wishes and keep the rating down by skipping certain things of the more suggestive nature. I really have no problems either way, so if you object, drop me a note, or mention it in a comment.**

**Thank you :) All of the favorites, reviews, and followers mean a lot to me!**


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Recuperation

**Thank you for all the reviews! This chapter gets a tad bit mature near the middle...but alas, that M rated chapter has yet to be written (I'm going to guess that it'll be in the next couple of chapters). I love the reviews that I get, and they are beyond helpful!**

**It is actually my birthday today, I even took the day off to spend with my family...but found out that they all had to work today. So, to celebrate the fact that I have to move on to using adult toothpaste, I've been writing, and editing photographs like crazy from my latest shoot. So here's the completed chapter!**

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**BRUCE WAYNE AVOIDING PUBLIC EYE **

**It has been reported that Bruce Wayne has been holed up in the beautiful Wayne Manor for nearly two months now, along with the mysterious woman who he was last seen with. Police have been visiting the Manor on and off after scouring The Narrows for information. It is believed that he is keeping the woman prisoner in his own home.**

**Bruce Wayne continues to have 'no comment', as do his representatives.**

"The doctor has cleared both of you for work, as well as spelunking, and all the other activities you inquired about, Master Wayne," Alfred smiled knowingly.

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce replied, and mirrored his smile. Bruce had been getting antsy, and although he had gone out almost every night, he had kept it a secret from both Kate and Alfred. Kate would have wanted to accompany him, and Alfred was in need of a few stress free weeks.

Bruce rose up from his seat, and stoked the dim fire in the corner of the room. Summer was coming to an end, and fall was quickly setting in. This was one of his favorite rooms in the entire manor. The lush carpet was something that most of the rooms lacked, as well as the deep mahogany colors that infused a sort of cozy atmosphere into the room. Shelves of books lined the walls, and a large couch sat in front of the ornately carved fire place (which was one out of four that Wayne Manor possessed).

With a yawn, Bruce wandered back over to the couch, retrieved a book from where he had discarded it the night before, an sat back down on the plush cushions. With furrowed brows, he glanced around the room, and then found his glasses sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

"I didn't know you needed glasses." Kate was standing in the doorway, one hand on her hip, the other resting against the door frame. "They look nice." _Downright sexy, in fact._ Kate kept her thoughts to herself, figuring she'd use them later if the occasion arose.

"What happened to your sling?" Bruce asked, looking concerned. It wasn't a big deal, but he didn't like seeing her without it, in case she was still in pain.

"Alfred already told me that the doctor cleared us for doing whatever we'd like, and it isn't as sore as it was last week," Kate answered smoothly, and walked over to where he sat. "Where did you go last night?" She laid down next to him on the couch, curling up against his lean body.

Bruce looped an arm around her waist, and sighed softly. He propped his head up with his other hand, staring at her intently. "I was having a bad dream," he murmured, and smiled. "Did I wake you?" For the first time since she had begun to live at Wayne Manor, Kate had ventured into his room, and slept in his bed while he was working.

"No, but I woke up and you weren't there," Kate replied.

Bruce just shook his head, and shut his eyes. He didn't like lying to her, but he knew that she would be livid if she knew that he had been sneaking out to investigate Cameron and his dealings.

"I made muffins," Kate said, changing the subject when she realized he was slightly uncomfortable.

"So that's where this came from," Bruce smiled suddenly, and reached up, brushing his fingers across the side of her cheek. Flour was smeared across Kate's pale cheek, and some had gotten caught in her dark hair. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful I think you are?"

Kate shrugged, and smiled faintly. "You've mentioned it a few times."

Bruce rolled his eyes, and caught her chin in his grip, forcing her blue eyes to meet with his. "I'm serious," he informed her. "You are so beautiful, I can't even begin to describe it."

Kate just nodded, and kissed him softly, lingering for a brief moment before she rested her head against him. It was a common position to find them in, curled up together on a couch, in a bed, or sharing his chair in his study.

"You never told me what Lucius wanted," Bruce murmured in her ear. His curiosity was starting to the get the better of him.

Kate shrugged, and smiled briefly. "He was just paying me a visit, and I needed some files from Archives."

_ "Miss Matthews, it is wonderful to see that you are in high spirits," Lucius had walked through the foyer of Wayne manor with almost as much grace as Bruce held. He closed the door to Kate's room behind him, and set the briefcase on the chair beside her bed._

_ "Mister Fox, have you come to discuss the details of our discussion?" Kate asked softly. "I appreciate you coming out to see me."_

_ "Just don't tell Mister Wayne," Lucius warned. "But I do have a prototype for you."_

_"Bruce won't know until after this has all been done," Kate confirmed. "And he won't know that you supplied me with the suit."_

_ "It's made out of a lightweight material, with a fair amount of flexibility, and some protection. Now, as you are aware, I could not make this outfit completely feminine, due to the protection that you asked for. However, I added some touches that I knew you'd enjoy, just for fun."_

_ Kate shrugged. "I will take what you give me," she said with a smile._

_ Lucius opened the briefcase, and removed two articles of black material. Kate accepted them, and gently massaged the fabric between her fingers. It was durable, but not as thin as Kate had hoped for, and the jet black fabric was accented with streaks of bright red. "How did you know that red is one of my favorite colors?" she teased._

_ "Just a guess," Lucius said. "I designed the fabric, and it comes in two pieces. You have this top, and then the pants. Everything you need is in that briefcase. The fabric is fairly lightweight, durable, and has some protective qualities. However, unless you use the Kevlar plated armor I provided, you're going to be open to almost all attacks." _

_ Kate nodded, listening to him. It was obvious that the suit he had supplied her would cling to every dip and curve of her body, which could prove useful in situations where using her sexuality to get out of a sticky situation applied. "Mister Fox, what other things do you have?"_

_ "There's a utility belt," Lucius smiled. "Yes, you get one of your own. Alfred informed me that there was a recent theft of some objects in Bruce's utility belt, and I can only assume that you acquired them."_

_ Kate grinned, but shrugged her shoulders. "What's a girl to do when her boyfriend keeps secrets?"_

_ "You have both my condolences, and my congratulations on that relationship," Lucius joked."You'll do him good though. He needs someone like you to keep him going."_

_ Kate laughed softly, and shook her head. "Thank you, Mister Fox." _

"Kate?" Bruce was still stroking the side of her cheek, his calloused fingers tracing light patterns along her smooth skin. "What did Lucius need?"

Kate blinked, and stretched out just enough to keep her from hurting herself. With a smile, she nuzzled her face against his warm neck. "Mmm, Lucius was just checking in on me, and he wanted to know how you were doing."

"Well I am doing just fine," Bruce gently slipped his hand into her hair, and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her softly.

Kate lazily draped a leg over his body, effectively entwining their forms on the couch. "This is a very large couch, Bruce, I didn't realize that two people could fit so comfortably on one." She smiled, and played with the collar of his shirt with her free hand.

Bruce grinned wickedly, and twisted his body, pulling her on top of him in one swift move so that she was straddling him. His hands wrested on her hips, and he winked at her. "I like to have ample space in case I have to share my furniture with...other people." Without hesitation, his hand slid beneath the fabric of the blue shirt she wore to explore the smooth skin of her back.

Kate smirked, and dipped her head low, her lips brushing across his. "Is that so? And should I be jealous of your other...encounters with people?" She pressed her hips against his teasingly, but when he tried to keep her body flush against his, she pushed his hands off of her hips and shook her head. "You aren't getting anything until I get an answer."

Bruce stuck out his lower lip playfully. "Why should you feel jealous? I rarely invite women into this room," he grinned, and captured her face between his hands when she released them. "Besides, they've got nothing on you, babe." With that, he drew her in, and planted a searing kiss on her lips.

Kate slid her hands up the hard planes of his chest, before curling them up in his dark hair. Long moments passed, the only communication between them was passionate kisses and gasps for breath, and then Kate's slender fingers wandered down to the top button of his shirt. She popped each one open tortuously slow, knowing that he was impatient.

Just as she was about to move onto the third button, the door to the room creaked loudly, and Kate spun off of Bruce, landing on the floor with a thud. Her cheeks flushed with heat, and her back was rigid. The last thing she wanted was to be caught with her boyfriend, and boss, doing the thing that they had been wanting to do for weeks.

"Master Wayne..." Alfred was standing in the doorway, a confused look on his face when he saw Kate on the floor. "There's someone at the door for you." When he took in Bruce's mussed hair, partially unbuttoned shirt, and Kate's red face, he didn't need to ask. "I'll go tell them you're busy."

"No no, Alfred, I'll be right down," Bruce said. When Alfred was out of the room, Bruce groaned. "I'm going to kill that man."

Kate climbed up off of the floor, and giggled, a new sound that immediately enchanted Bruce. "You're a mess," she commented. She leaned up on her tiptoes, smoothed his hair back, fixed his glasses, and kissed him softly. "My stay here is quite indefinite, Mister Wayne, so you'll have plenty of time to do whatever it is you want..." Kate trailed off, and smiled coyly.

"You know exactly what I want," Bruce replied, and smirked. "Try not to be bored while I'm gone, Katherine." He kissed her cheek, and then let his hand slide down to cup her rear.

"You are going to regret doing that," Kate whispered. "Because my hands can drive you crazy, but I'm trying to make sure you look mildly presentable for your guest." To back up her words, she let her hands drop from his shoulders, slip down his chest, and brush against his hips.

"You're playing with fire, Miss Matthews," Bruce replied, and narrowed his eyes playfully. He removed his hand from her ass, and winked. "I'll see you later."

"I'm sure you'll be doing more than seeing when you return," Kate commented, and laughed softly as he disappeared into the hallway.

Bruce shivered when his naked feet touched the cold, granite floors of the manor. It was time to install more wood floors, and carpet, he decided. He cleared his throat, and began readjusting his clothes, smoothing back his hair just to make sure that he didn't look as hot and bothered as he felt.

"Master Wayne, he's waiting in your study," Alfred said as he made his way to Bruce's side. He was moving remarkably slower than normal, and it caught Bruce's attention.

"Thank you Alfred, who is he?"

"Gotham's Police Commissioner," Alfred explained. "Jim Gordon."

Bruce frowned, and then paused. "Alfred, make sure that Kate is doing all right," he said. "I'll handle the Commissioner."

"Uh...Master Wayne, my apologies for bursting in...unannounced." Alfred stammered.

"Are you feeling okay, Alfred?" Bruce inquired. Alfred was pale, and his hands were shaking more than they normally did.

"I'm fine, Master Wayne," Alfred promised. He waved his hand at the young man's shirt, and smiled. "You might want to button that up."

Bruce chuckled, and shook his head. He was still working on the buttons of his shirt as he walked into his study, and nearly ran into Gordon. He was a tall, older gentleman with a bushy mustache, and a pair of dark brown glasses. He seemed to be the fatherly type, which Bruce had learned from experience, but he wouldn't take crap from anyone. That was why Batman trusted him, and why he was a good cop.

"I apologize for calling without warning, Mister Wayne," the man said, and pretended to fiddle with his glasses so as not to stare at the disheveled billionaire. It was quite obvious that his mind was somewhere else, and that he had not been prepared for company.

"What can I do for you, Commissioner Gordon?" Bruce asked, and smiled warmly.

"I'm here for an official statement regarding the incident that occurred in The Narrows." Gordon looked uncomfortable as he sat down, mainly because he was ready to put this case away, and get the reporters off of his back.

"I thought that was old news already," Bruce admitted, an sighed. "My statement...I was going to take my girlfriend out, but before we could reach my vehicle, we were assaulted, dragged to a different location, and beaten senseless." Bruce shook his head, and shrugged. "I honestly don't remember much, but I remember her screaming. As to the allegations of me attacking her, and keeping her hostage, they are completely false."

"May I have this girlfriend's name?" Gordon asked gently. It was a surprise, while Gordon didn't read much into the local gossip, he knew that Bruce Wayne was very much a playboy.

"I would...rather not. Things have a way of leaking, and we're looking for privacy in this relationship," Bruce said slowly.

"Bruce!"

Both Bruce and Gordon's heads whipped around to the door at the sound of the shrill scream. Gordon drew his gun, but Bruce was already out of the room, and darting up the stairs. His heart hammered wildly in his chest, and a grim look set into place.

Kate was kneeling down in the center of the spacious hall, a frightened look on her visage as she leaned over Alfred, who was splayed out on the ground. "Bruce, he's been poisoned..." Her hands fluttered uselessly over Alfred, and she finally gripped one of his weathered hands in her own.

"I'll call an ambulance," Gordon said, and pulled out his phone.

"He's breathing. . ." Kate murmured, leaning against Bruce when his arms went around her. "This is my fault."

Bruce shook his head. "Don't say that. This has nothing to do with you." He held onto both her hand, and Alfred's, praying that the man who had been with him every step of the way would be fine.

"The ambulance is on the way, Mister Wayne," Gordon said. "I'll have my men investigate this."

Bruce nodded, but his mind was a million miles away, stuck on wondering how this could have happened. Wayne Manor wasn't quite a fortress, but it was enough to keep the bad people from harming the ones he loved inside.

When the ambulance arrived, both Bruce and Kate rode along in silence. Kate knew what loosing Alfred would do to Bruce, and she knew that it was her fault. Cameron Crane would target the people she cared about, even if he didn't realize it, until she came out of hiding, and died.

And even after she was dead, he would keep killing to fill the void that revenge had created inside of him.

Kate realized that she was going to have to do what Bruce, and Batman could not do. She would have to murder Cameron to save the people she loved most.

It was unsettling, but it had to be done.

* * *

**Felt like giving Alfred a little attention. He is, by far, one of my favorite characters :)**

**Thank you for reading, and...I'm sorry for the baby cliff I put you on. I have a tendency to do that :) The next chapter might take some time, because I do have another fanfiction that I have neglected, and I really should try and update that first (At least get to chapter two, eh?).**


	16. Chapter Sixteen: When Alfred Is Gone

**And here it is. A chapter that I've been working on while I've been completely and utterly exhausted. I've been working long shifts recently(Noon to midnight), and I'm fried. The job is taxing on my body, and as of late, I've been beyond stressed with my coworkers, and friends. On Wednesday, I'm going on hiatus for a well needed camping expedition with my friends. I'll be back after a few days, but during that time, I probably won't be working on anything.**

**Thank you all for reading, and reviewing. A few of you have asked this, and I'll say it now, I am planning on doing a sequel to this, so, whenever this ends, be prepared for some more.**

* * *

_He was being sneaky again. Kate k__new that he wasn't staying in bed the entire night. Every time he left, his warmth disappeared with him, and Kate would wake up to that emptiness. The excuses were starting to become identical...bad dream, too hot, couldn't sleep..._

_ Finally, the night came where Kate followed him. Silently, she stalked him down the dark corridors of the manor, her ice blue eyes focusing on every movement he made. When his fingers danced over the piano -which Kate was under the impression that was only up for show- the bookcase swung open, revealing what Kate knew to be his Bat-Cave._

_ She couldn't follow him inside, but someday, she would get inside, and confront him. Perhaps he was just sitting in the earth, mulling over his thoughts, but Kate was almost positive that he was donning his mask and scouring Gotham for criminals. _

_ "Bruce...I'm sorry that you can't go out every night and do what you love," she said, trying to introduce the idea that staying home, in bed was the only way he would heal. _

_ Bruce shrugged slightly, and kept his arm wrapped loosely around her. Their days consisted of lying in his bed, the silk sheets shoved all the way to the foot of the bed, and Kate's legs draped over his. "It's not that big of a deal," he finally said, but he looked guilty._

_ Kate bit her lip, and then tilted her head back to look at him. "Bruce...I'll start sleeping in the guest room," she said softly._

_ Bruce frowned, and shook his head. "Why would you do that?"_

_ "You need your sleep," she told him. "You leave almost every night, and don't return until the early morning."_

_ "That isn't your fault, Kate," Bruce reassured. "Besides, I like having the company."_

_ Kate curled her body up, and sighed softly. She liked the company too, but she being in the dark was something she wasn't about to deal with. "If I tell you a secret, you tell me where you're going at night," she finally murmured._

_ Before Bruce could reject the idea, Kate was sitting up, and trying to take her shirt off._

_ "What-" Bruce sat up next to her, a hand going to her back. _

_ "Just listen," Kate cut him off gently. "Help?" The sling kept her from taking her shirt off without assistance, and so Bruce gently eased it off, making sure not to jostle her arm. _

_ When he was done, she turned her body away slightly, , but left her back exposed to him."You should know this secret."_

_ "Kate, no-" _

_ "Damn it, Bruce!" Kate snapped. "Don't you want to know?" It was wrong for her to use him like this, to give him information, and expect his secrets in return. It wasn't fair, but she had faith in him. Faith that he would tell her what he was doing, or else she would venture into his sacred cave, and see what he was doing._

_ "Only if you're ready to tell me," Bruce replied calmly. Tentatively, he stretched out his arm, and brushed his fingers along the three, jagged white scars stretching down across her pale flesh. There were other scars, but these were the ones that frightened her, the ones that told the most significant, pivotal thing in her life._

_ "I just wanted to be free," Kate said softly. _

_ Bruce let his fingers wander down her back, tracing each pattern that he found along the way. All of the scars were faded, but had been deep enough to make a permanent impact on her body. These belonged to a child._

_ "We were children. My father had me come along on a business trip with him, to the Plaza. The trip lasted for months, and we ended up living there for two years. On my thirteenth birthday, I didn't get a cake, or a card, or a loving gesture from my father..." Kate paused, her eyes shut tightly like she was in pain. "This was when my father was in deep...and he needed a way to get back to the top. When the men he was working with got nervous that he was going to just scare, and leave, they took me, and hid me in the hotel._

_ Cameron was my friend when we were younger, and his father was the one in charge of keeping me under lock and key. When they would leave, Cameron would show me this knife that his father had given him...and that one day, he would sneak it into the room, and make sure that I could escape." Kate drew in a deep breath, and then exhaled."He's only a few years older than I was, and I guess he liked me, and wanted to help me."_

_ "You don't have to do this," Bruce murmured, noticing the crystal tear that dripped off of her cheek. The way she was shaking, almost as much as a leaf on a blustery autumn day._

_ "I never got the chance to escape," Kate ignored him. "I got the knife at one point, but. . .by the time I had figured out how to use it, the men my father was working with came in. One of them grabbed me...did horrible things," Kate shuddered, and buried her face against Bruce's neck when he pulled her against him. "Beat me, threw things at me, screamed at me until I couldn't hear. But they had to teach the boy a lesson. They put the knife in his hand, and forced him to cut open my back._

_ By the time he got to the third one, I was nearly dead from a loss of blood. The cuts were deep enough to keep me screaming long after it was over. And then they threw me into the street, and left me there."_

_ Kate waited patiently for him to speak, but she knew that he wouldn't say anything. It was the one thing that he wouldn't do. She gently pulled away from him, and laid on her side, keeping her back to him. Her tears were her own, and she was always ashamed of them, ashamed to let people see that she was weak. _

_ Bruce was silent. When she turned away from him, he carefully placed his arms around her, and kissed the back of her neck. She had just explained her entire story to him, and yet he was unwilling to tell her what he was doing. It would hurt her either way, and she had dealt with enough pain. "I'm working on something special," he whispered. "But it's for you, and I can't tell you what it is until it's completed."_

_ Perhaps a white lie was better than nothing at all. Yes, he was working on a project that pertained to Kate, but most of his time was spent scouring the streets of Gotham for the twisted man who put Kate, Alfred, and himself into the hospital._

_ "I can't wait," Kate murmured absently._

* * *

_Bruce had been sitting in the hospital for hours. Kate was curled up in his lap, the warmth radiating from her body was the only comfort he found. His arms were wrapped around her tightly, protectively. She had fallen asleep, the dark circles under her eyes betraying what he had suspected her of doing. Tenacity, it would seem, was Kate's middle name. She wasn't going back to sleep after he left in the middle of the night, and he could only wonder what she was doing._

_ Kate's eyelids fluttered open when she felt Bruce's arms instinctively tighten around her whenever someone walked near him, and she stared at him for a long moment. _

_ "The doctors are still with him," Bruce answered, already reading the look on her face._

_ "Mister Wayne?" Jim Gordon had yet to leave, he had been wandering around the hospital, inquiring as to Alfred's health. _

_ Bruce looked up, and smiled faintly at the man who had wrapped a coat around his shoulders as a child. "What can I do for you, Commissioner?"_

_ "Please, call me Gordon," he replied, and cleared his throat slightly. "I need to speak with Kate, if that's all right with you."_

_ "Of course," Kate sat up, and ran a hand through her hair. When Bruce kept his arms around her tightly, she turned to look at him, and frowned. "Bruce?"_

_ "I'd feel more comfortable if he spoke to you here," Bruce said slowly._

_ Kate sighed softly, and shook her head. "Bruce, you're too tense. I'm a big girl, I'll be fine." She kissed him softly, but quickly, more to reassure him than anything. _

_ His arms loosened, and she slipped out of his grip. "Where would you like to speak, Gordon?"_

_ "Let's go for a walk around the building, it'll do you some good," Gordon replied with a friendly smile. "I'll keep her safe, Bruce."_

_ As soon as they rounded the first corner, Kate spoke. "Gordon, Bruce might not ask for help, but I will."_

_ "I'm assuming that both you, and Bruce visiting the hospital was no random mugging," he finally assumed._

_ "My name is Katherine Marcus," Kate said quietly. "I once dealt with the wrong people, and now my past is catching up with me. Cameron Crane is targeting the people I am closest to, and it needs to stop."_

_ "Crane?" Gordon arched a brow. He knew who she was, he had done his research well, and after the most difficult digging and conniving, he had finally found her identity._

_ "Cameron Jensen," Kate clarified, using the alias Cameron had obviously adopted. "He's running for Mayor, I believe."_

_ Gordon's face paled slightly, and he cleared his throat again. "I knew something wasn't quite right with that man," he admitted. "But he had half of the city charmed. It's going to be hard to get him out of the race."_

_ "I'm not worried about getting him out of the race," Kate finally said. "He has something planned for the city, something that his brother concocted, I'll bet. But I have to find out what it is before he executes it."_

_ "How can I help you?"_

_ "I'm working with Rachel Dawes, and Batman on this situation," Kate explained. "But you would be a great asset. You've worked with Rachel before, correct?"_

_ "I have. And I'll work with her again on this," Gordon replied. "Is Mister Wayne aware of this situation? I understand that Rachel is also a friend of his..."_

_ "He's fully aware," Kate confirmed. "And-"_

_ "Fully aware of what?" Bruce came around the corner, and motioned to the mirror fixated to the corner of the ceiling. _

_ Kate held her annoyance at bay. At some point, they would need to discuss boundaries in their relationship. A few minutes of privacy with the police commissioner would be one of them. "I'm discussing our situation."_

_ "And this was something that you wanted me to keep out of?" Bruce inquired quietly, his arm going around her waist. _

_ "Bruce," there was a warning note in Kate's voice, and she glanced up at him. "I'm trying to do what's best for everyone here."_

_ "Only do what's best for you. You don't know me well enough to know what I really want." The comment stung, and Kate dropped her gaze._

_ "You're right. I guess I don't know you well enough to deem what's right for you," she said coldly, and shoved his arm away. "Commissioner Gordon, it was a pleasure to speak with you," she added, and shook the man's hand before walking away._

_ Bruce sighed, and dragged a hand through his hair. "I'm an asshole," he finally said._

_ Gordon nodded, and shrugged. "Women are hard creatures to read. Thank you for your time, Mister Wayne. We'll keep in touch."_

_ "Yes, we will."_

* * *

Weeks went by, more arguments ensued, and Kate moved back into the guest room. Alfred was still in the hospital, and Bruce was under the most unbearable amount of stress. The pain was apparent in his eyes, and his body language.

They were arguing again, like they always did.

"No! I'm sick of it!" Kate shouted angrily. "Where do you go at night? You leave me here, and expect me to be okay with you saving Gotham by yourself?"

"I don't expect anything of you," Bruce replied. "I can't do anything else. I can't babysit you, and keep Gotham safe at the same time."

"I don't need to be babysat!" Kate exclaimed. "Fuck! When will you understand that I can take care of myself?"

Bruce dragged a hand through his hair, pulling on it in his frustration. They had been at odds with each other ever since the conversation with Gordon. One moment, Bruce thought everything was fine, and then the next, Kate was a brick wall.

When Bruce said nothing, Kate slapped him, hard. "I'm not your whore. You can't come home, fuck me, and then leave the next moment like I mean nothing to you. I don't care how stressed out you are. I'm so damn tired of it!" Sex with Bruce Wayne was incredible, so she couldn't complain, but it was like she was nothing more than a way to find release after spending all night doing nothing but chasing dead ends.

"Then why don't you leave?" Bruce roared, grabbing her arm roughly to keep her from hitting him again. He wasn't any good for her. She would get hurt, and he couldn't be responsible for it.

The pain that sparked in Kate's eyes told him that he had just made a huge mistake. She was completely silent, petrified, it seemed. He had never raised his voice at her, much less grabbed her.

The man she had fallen in love with was hurting her, and he had promised that he would never do that to her. No words fell out of her mouth, the cocky, headstrong woman who would have beaten him black and blue was completely gone. In her place stood a meek, terrified woman. How had she let him get so close to her heart, and become so vulnerable. "Let me go," she whispered.

Bruce's hand disappeared from her arm, and he turned his back to her, shame boiling up inside of him. He had hurt her. When he heard her crying, sharp, broken sobs, he carefully folded his arms around her.

"I am so sorry," he whispered. "For everything."

Kate continued to cry, but wrapped her arms tightly around Bruce. Every night he came home, she would lie awake, and tell him how much she loved him. She was waiting for him to return that sentiment. Maybe she should have left him long ago, but he needed her. Bruce Wayne needed her. When she realized that he wasn't going to tell her what he was doing at night, she began to train in her spare time. Her interest in martial arts spiked, and she paid good money to learn techniques that she didn't already posses.

She was just as fit as Batman to help save Gotham. She had already proved it by her first encounter with Batman. He hadn't even known that it was her. All he knew was that the new, masked woman in Gotham was named Shadow, and she had a low, seductive voice that could turn every head her way if she tried. The name was easy enough to come up with, although she would have preferred Lady Katherine, as she enjoyed the dramatic, but she was a part of the shadows, a hero created when Bruce Wayne had kept her in the dark.

"I care about you," Bruce breathed. "Katherine, don't leave."

"I never was going to," she managed to say. "But if you want me to stay, then you're going to have to forgive me for what I've done."

Bruce stroked her hair back gently, and wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "I don't understand..." he said softly, looking confused.

"Batman isn't the only hero in town anymore," she murmured.

Bruce watched her, and then closed his eyes in disbelief. "It's you," he murmured, and leaned his forehead against her. "You're Shadow."

* * *

**I actually wasn't going to write that last part, with the argument and such, but for some reason, it just sort of plopped down there, and didn't want to move. I guess I needed another reason to actually have Kate finally put herself into action.**

**Oh, and now everyone finally knows the story behind the scars. I also love the character of Jim Gordon, and I figured I'd incorporate him so Rachel had some help.**

**Your reviews are marvelous, and incredibly helpful! Thank you!**


	17. Chapter Seventeen: An Explanation

**Well, I'm back. As of late, I've lost my entire creative flow. It was like I was hit by a huge train of self doubt. I'm exhausted, and not ready to continue with college. I do start school next week, so updates may be fewer and far between... sorry. **

**I'm super sorry for making you guys wait so long, thank you for putting up with the long wait! However, several things have been coming up over the past few weeks, so finding time for writing has been nearly impossible. This chapter nearly didn't go up, because my computer has been sick, and the fanfic file on my computer ended in the trash, and was subsequently deleted. The chapter was nearly finished, and then...poof! Luckily, I recovered it, and here it is. **

**THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M.**

**Beware. If you are not old enough to be thinking about this stuff, then read the italicized flashback, and skip over to the next italicized part. It is not appropriate for the eyes of young children.**

* * *

_ Another argument had sent Batman soaring through the night angrily, his arms stretched out as the memory fabric drifted over the wind, sending him gliding between buildings until he came to a smooth stop in a deserted alleyway. He needed a way to get into Arkham, but the gap in the wall was heavily guarded, and Batman was vary of taking all ten men out. If he did decide to enter, he would only have minutes to explore. The situation would be discovered, and then he would have to leave. _

_ It was hardly enough time for him to find out what Crane was up to. Doing so would keep Kate safe, which was his main priority as of late._

_ "You'll go batty if you keep doing this alone," a soft, low voice wandered out of the shadows. It was oddly familiar, but Batman couldn't quite put a finger on it._

_ Slowly, he turned, and frowned."Gotham doesn't need another hero," he replied coldly._

_ "Gotham doesn't need to lose it's only hero," she countered. Suddenly, the curvaceous figure of a woman appeared out of the shadows. Her blonde hair flowed down her shoulders, but strands of jet black hair peeked out from underneath. Kate had been forced to sloppily throw the wig on, more to hide her identity from Bruce, than anyone else. In due time, she would tell him who she was, but for now, it would not do any good. "You need my help."_

_ Batman was silent. He had heard this before. Every time a copycat Batman sprouted up, they said the same thing. His response was always the same. "I need no help."_

_ "You're only lying to yourself." Slowly, and with purpose, she walked forward, until she was a few feet away from him. _

_ Wordlessly, Batman lifted his hand, and caught the red, fingerless gloved hands that came at him. "Sloppy," he said quietly, and twisted her arm hard, locking her arm behind her back._

_ She made no move to stop him. In fact, it seemed like it had been her plan. "Is it really?" She asked breathlessly._

_ Suddenly, a series of small explosions sounded from behind him, and Batman turned his head, in doing so, he loosened his grip entirely. The moment he did so, his grievous error was brought to his attention as she disappeared out of his reach, and sight._

_ "Lost me in the shadows, Bats?" Her lilting, teasing voice filtered out directly in front of him, but she was nowhere to be seen._

_ "Hiding in the shadows makes you nothing more than a tease, and a coward," Batman said. "If I assume right, you'd run if danger showed up."_

_ "You'd be wrong," she whispered in his ear, her warm breath caressing his face. _

_ "I'm an excellent judge of character." He whirled around, holding his arm out horizontally in the hopes that he would catch her. However, she was surprisingly fast, and ducked, before putting all of her energy into on attack. Both of her closed fists slammed into his solar plexus, and sent him staggering back. In quick succession, Kate planted one foot against the same spot, and sent him down to the ground. It was a dirty shot, and a less experienced fighter would have gone for a more obvious place, such as his groin, face, or stomach. She only did so when she wanted to distract him._

_ Batman was stunned. He shouldn't have gone down so easily, much less by a woman. There was anger behind her attack, and something else. However, this blonde woman was not Kate._

_ "Who are you?" In the dim light that he stood under, he could make out her pale face, which was obscured by a glittery, detailed black mask. Her full lips were painted a deep red, which matched the dark red details on her suit. It clung tightly to her body, leaving nothing to the imagination. The black fabric clinging to her legs disappeared into a pair of tall, crimson boots, which were light enough for her to move around in silently._

_ However, the style of the utility belt, which was remarkably similar to his, caught his dark eyes, and he took the time to examine the sleek surface with his eyes. His breathing was heavy, labored. This woman proved herself, and she was just as worthy as he was to try and protect Gotham._

_ "Shadow," the name slipped past her lips with ease. It wasn't creative, but it was true. Kate was a hero born in the shadows that Bruce Wayne felt forced to keep her in. The things he didn't tell her cast a blanket of darkness over her, and she wanted to break that, and help him. _

_ "Your real name?" He inquired._

_ "Amara Styles," she answered softly. Kate had asked Lucius to create a fake name, and past to fit this blonde haired hero, so that she could garner more trust from Bruce, and Batman as well. "Now, let's get going."_

* * *

"How?" Bruce looked at her, keeping his hands cupped around her soft face.

"I asked Lucius to help me, like he helped you," Kate murmured. "You kept me in the dark, Bruce. I want to help you..."

"That doesn't make it okay for you to go behind my back-" he started to protest, but Kate placed a finger against his lips, silencing him.

"We are not getting into this argument again," Kate scolded. "I'm helping you, and that's it."

He sighed softly, and then nodded. "Let's go to bed," he said softly, and carefully led her in the direction of his room. He was somewhat tired, but more taken by surprise that Kate was the woman that he had fought with the night before.

"You really couldn't tell that it was me?" Kate finally inquired.

"Not at all," Bruce admitted. "But the more I think about it, the more I can see the similarities. The wig was a nice touch though, albeit, I like your dark hair much more."

"I was considering kissing you, but I thought that might be a stretch," Kate teased, and grinned. "I'm going to change, and use your bathroom. I'll be back in a minute." When they entered the room, she wandered into his spacious bathroom with the intentions of brushing her hair, and washing her face.

Bruce yawned loudly, and stretched out on the bed. He wasn't really tired, but he was attempting to catch Kate's attention so she would come out of the bathroom, and join him. After some time, Bruce sighed, and sat up. "Kate? What are you doing in there?" he asked curiously. It did not take ten minutes to brush one's teeth, or do whatever she was doing.

Kate stepped out silently, and placed a hand on her hip. She was wearing a lacy black thong, and a matching black bra. "I didn't know you knew my size," she commented absently. "I hope this is for me...it was sitting in the shower...I'm assuming you forgot about it." The gift didn't surprise her, especially after how much fighting had happened in the past few weeks.

Bruce cleared his throat, and had to force himself to look at her face. "Uh...I don't know how I forgot it," he said finally. He was having difficulty keeping himself from devouring her body with his eyes.

"It's good quality," Kate said. "All though, there's a little too much padding for me," she smirked, and crossed her arms, emphasizing her cleavage.

"I'm not short on cash, I'll just have to go splurge on something else, I suppose," Bruce replied, attempting to sound as nonchalant as she was. He knew she was teasing him, her body language, and the small smirk on her lips told him so.

Kate slowly approached him, and ran a hand through her wavy dark hair. "And what occasion were you going to have me wear this for?" She inquired, smiling coyly as she sat down beside him. Her hands wandered along his thigh, and then up his chest to play with the buttons of the shirt that he had yet to take off.

"The whole outfit wasn't quite finished." He had been intending to take her out, but sharing a room with someone usually made keeping some secrets more difficult than others. Bruce watched her as she started unbuttoning his shirt, and finally wrapped his arms around her, capturing her mouth in a hot, passionate kiss.

Kate nearly ripped off his shirt, muttering an apology against his lips when one of the buttons popped off of his shirt. Between stolen breaths of air, Kate pushed his shirt off of his shoulders, and placed her small hands against his hard chest. She could feel his heart pounding wildly beneath her hand, and she grinned at the response she had drug out of his body.

His hands wandered, both smooth and calloused, they ran over her bare skin, tracing every dip and curve. He already knew her body so well, and yet each time he touched her, it felt completely different. Flesh that felt smoother than satin, and warmth that far surpassed a fire.

With ease, Bruce's hands found the clasp of her bra, and unfastened it. He was anything but a novice when it came to these things, and he'd never be able to deny it. His fingers wandered down the raised scars decorating her back, and she arched her back in response, a quite sigh slipping past her lips.

Kate took no time in ridding him of the rest of his clothes, and she eagerly tossed her bra away from her body, and then pushed at his pants. The silky smooth feel of her hands brushing over his skin send a shudder of pleasure through his body, and he groaned in frustration when her hands skirted the place where he wanted them to be most. He caught her arms with his hands, and held them, before moving them away from his body so she couldn't tease him.

Everything that Bruce did was gentle to a point, he had learned that being rough with Kate was a something that she would allow if she felt comfortable, and he was completely fine with that. He tugged gently on her hair, and his lips slid over her cheek. "You taste nice," he commented, as if it was the most natural thing to do, before he gently nibbled on her ear lobe.

"I get that a lot," Kate murmured back, a mischievous smirk appearing as her hand pressed down against his apparent arousal.

His body tensed, and he growled playfully, his teeth scraping along her neck. With gentle hands, he pushed her down on the bed, and hovered over her. His lips trailed down her neck, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. As Kate let her hands wander through his hair, and away from where he wanted them, he continued to kiss downwards, capturing the tip of her breast in his mouth as he did so.

Kate dragged her nails down his back gently, and then dug in when he bit down on her nipple harder than she expected. Her back arched in response, and she dropped her hands, fisting the sheets, and gasping loudly. A fresh wave of heat raced through her body, painting her porcelain cheeks a dark red.

Bruce grinned wickedly, remembering that he had once threatened to tease her until she came apart at the seams. His lips were wandering back down her chest, tracing the white scar down across her creamy skin. He pressed slow, warm kisses down her body until he reached the apex of her legs. "Now don't move," he teased, knowing that she hated it when he told her what to do.

Slowly, he flicked his tongue over the small nub of pleasure, drawing out a soft, needy moan from Kate. She tasted sweet, and he loved it. When he felt her hips wriggling in response to his ministrations, he pinned them down with his strong hands, forcing her to endure the torturously slow pace of his tongue.

"If you don't stop that, I'm going to punch you," Kate finally managed to speak, her hands gripping fistfuls of his hair tightly.

Bruce lifted his head, and grinned. He wasn't going to say anything to her, but the mischievous glint in his eyes told her that he wasn't going to stop unless she begged him, or told him what she wanted.

"Fuck me," Kate breathed, a coy smile pulled the corners of her lips up. "Please?"

"So insistent. I don't recall you like this last night." Bruce winked, and his lips latched down onto hers. He would give her anything she wanted, within reason, an her current request was one that he would never deny. Kate's quiet moan, and his pleasured groan were both trapped in their passionate kiss as Bruce slid into her. Together, they created a rhythm that they had perfected after the many nights that Kate had spent at his place.

With urgency, Kate rocked her hips up against his, her back arched, and her hands wandering, searching for purchase. She couldn't quite grasp him firmly enough, and so she continued to let her hands brush over his muscled arms, shoulders, and his back. She was already sky high, and her body screamed for release. When she did, her fingers dug into the skin of his shoulders, and she nearly screamed his name.

After a few seconds, Bruce's release followed, and when he was finished, he let his body fall to the open spot on the bed beside her. His armed wrapped around her tightly, and he pulled her close to his chest, his heart hammering madly within.

"That was nice," Kate said, sounding breathless.

"It might be a good thing that Alfred is stuck recuperating in the hospital," Bruce murmured in her ear, and brushed back a strand of her hair. "He'd probably question the screaming."

Kate shrugged, and snuggled up against him more, her face pressed against the smooth skin of his neck. "I honestly think he'd know full well what's going on, and probably just continue along." Kate had learned something about Alfred, after she had spent several days near his bedside, making sure that he had both company, and assistance when he had needed it. It was probably not something that many people new, and Kate imagined that he hadn't told many people how he had become employed by the Wayne family, much less how he had fallen in love with one of the members of the Wayne family when he was young. "But I think you already knew that, and you're just teasing me."

Bruce chuckled, and swatted her rear playfully before he draped his arms back over her lazily. "Just teasing," he admitted, and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Goodnight, Beautiful."

"Goodnight, Bruce," Kate whispered back.

* * *

_"Come on!" Shadow pranced forward, and waved her hand at him. _

_ There was a small grunt from Batman, but nothing else as he followed after her. His pace was slow, loping, as if he wanted her to get so far ahead that she lost him. Having a partner was slightly unnerving, and he was still getting used to the idea._

_"If I'm helping you, there's something I'd like in return," Shadow started, slowing her pace so she was walking just ahead of Batman. She glanced over her shoulder at him, and grinned. She knew what she was doing, moving her hips in the most tempting manner as she walked, flashing the flirtatious, coy smiles, and saying things that Bruce Wayne, and any man, would find appealing._

_ There was something strangely familiar about it all, and for a moment, guilt flooded through Bruce. Things weren't that bad with Kate that he had to revert to the idea of enjoying the company of another woman, were they?_

_ No. He wasn't like that. Out of all of the things that he despised, a cheating man was something he would not tolerate. "I didn't invite you to help me," Batman growled out. "You are free to do whatever you please, as long as you do not get in my way."_

_ "Oh fine, Bats," she replied, and rolled her eyes. In honestly, Kate had nothing to ask of him in return, except for him to treat her like a girlfriend again. However, if she did that, she would ruin her cover, something she wasn't so keen on doing so early in the game. "I'll still help you, but can I know what we're going to do? Why were you checking out the Asylum? Has Cameron Crane caught your eye?"_

_ "Hmmm, so you know him too," Batman said slowly, frowning even more. "He goes by another name, I believe."_

_ Kate cursed internally, realizing that most people wouldn't know that Cameron was a member of the Crane family. "I do my research well," she said slowly, attempting to fix her small mess up._

_ "I need to get into Arkham, and find out what he's up to," Batman said. "I'm sure your skin tight apparel, and sparkling mask will work as a distraction." He meant to be a little degrading, mainly because he had a feeling that she was going to end up being more of a pain in the butt than anything else._

_ "For some reason, I feel as though your cowl gives me the impression that bats are always angry creatures," Shadow shot back. "You look like you are eternally upset. Perhaps it would be best if I go and use my shapely figure and sparkling mask to get our information, while you go and intimidate the rest of them."_

_ "Does your suit even protect you from gunfire?" Batman inquired. "To be frank, I'm not going in and dealing with little boys and their toy guns, I deal with men who aren't afraid to empty an entire magazine into a child's body if it means saving their own skins."_

_ "Thanks for the concern, Bats, but I think I can manage," Shadow snapped. "Are you going to let me help you, or are you going to continue to try and get rid of me by playing the 'whose is bigger?' game?" _

_ Batman sighed, and shook his head. "Do what you want. Just stay out of my way." Without saying anything else, he turned, and ran into the dark._

_ Shadow lurked just behind him, following in his footsteps, and knowing full well that being a partner with him was going to be more difficult than she had first imagined._

* * *

**Naughty things are done. Sorry for taking forever to write this last chapter. Lack of inspiration and the beginning of school have me completely frazzled. This chapter would have been a little more elaborate...but, after realizing that I have seriously been leaving you guys hanging for so long, I said 'screw this' (hahaha, no pun intended) and wrapped up what I had. If I hadn't, this probably wouldn't have been done for another few weeks.**

**On a completely different note, I've been contemplating doing a little side shoot with Alfred, because I adore his character, and would love to do a little fun backstory with him. I don't know when I'll do that...but I want to do so at some point.**

**Thank you for reading, and sorrysorrysorrysorry for the wait! Supersorry.**


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Confrontation

**After watching The Dark Knight Rises several times today (As it was released today in the United States), I finally had the willpower to sit down, and complete this long awaited installment. **

**I apologize for the long wait. My life is exhausting. I had written the beginning of this piece four times, and took an extremely slow break once school started. This semester is coming to an end though, and after finals week, I'm hoping to pop out one, or two, more chapters before school starts back up again in late January.**

**I also took part in NaNoWriMo again in November, so I didn't touch this at all. My own novel, unfortunately, did not cooperate with me, and I am very, very, very glad to be back in the FF realm.**

**The entire chapter is raw. I'm tired, and my brain is uncooperative. Some of this chapter is from months ago, while the rest is much more recent. I hope you enjoy this, and for those of you who messaged me over the time of my absence, I'm glad you were still waiting around for me :) All of the reviews were very encouraging. I'm extremely sorry for making you wait.**

***Edit: So...I realized that this chapter might be super confusing. It might have something to do with the fact that I actually wrote two alternative endings to it. I uploaded the 'wrong' one. I'm not going to change it though, because I'm too lazy. The other version was a little less confusing, and boring.**

* * *

At seven thirty in the morning, the last thing Kate had been expecting to wake her up was the sound of the door chime ringing throughout the manor. "Bruce," she murmured, shaking him roughly before she rolled out of his grasp, and off of the bed.

"It's too early," Bruce mumbled, and tossed an arm over his face. "Come back here," he groaned, and dragged the blanket up to his chin. "It's probably just a reporter or something." He left one eye open, his gaze skimmed over her naked figure, before he grinned childishly. "You look nice."

"Shut up," she mumbled. She stumbled to the doorway, and pulled on the silk robe that had been lying on the floor for the past several days. "I'm turning the heat on when I get back."

"Kateeee," Bruce whined, and yawned loudly. "It's not even eight yet, if you come back to bed, I'll make it worth your while."

"It could be someone important!" Kate sighed, and then shook her head. "I'll be back in a few minutes." As quickly as she could, Kate skipped down the stairs, and jogged to the front door. "Wayne residence," she said breathlessly when she wrenched the door open. She held the door open a few inches, mainly because if it was a reporter, she didn't need them getting a good look at her wearing Bruce's robe.

"It seems that I've forgotten my key." Alfred was standing outside, a bright smile on his lips. "Good morning, Miss Matthews."

"Alfred!" Kate threw open the door, and hugged him tightly. "How are you? Why didn't you call? Bruce and I would have come and picked you up from the hospital!"  
"The police commissioner offered to do it, actually," Alfred answered, and patted Kate's back gently.

That was when Kate noticed Gordon standing a few feet behind Alfred, his face an unreadable mask. "Come inside," Kate said softly, motioning for Gordon to follow them. "Commissioner, thank you so much for bringing Alfred home, I appreciate it, as will Mister Wayne."

"Where is Master Wayne?" Alfred inquired, sounding tired.

"We were asleep, and he was too lazy to come and answer the door," Kate said, and rolled her eyes. "I will gladly go wake him up."

Alfred bowed his head slightly, and motioned for Gordon to step inside. "I'll lead Commissioner Gordon to his study, then," he informed her. "And I'll prepare some coffee as well."

"Nonsense!" Kate exclaimed, and started up the stairs. "Alfred, I'll do that, just get yourself some rest." She glanced back, and watched as Alfred shook his head, and led Gordon to Bruce's study.

He was incorrigible, and Kate knew that as much as she protested, Alfred was likely to ignore her, and do what he had been doing for years. With a bounce in her step, Kate skipped up the stairs, and skittered down the hallway. The door to Bruce's room was still open, so Kate burst into the room, and laughed quietly.

"Wake up!" Kate cooed, and grinned impishly as she leapt onto the bed. She tossed her arms around Bruce's figure. "Alfred is home."

Bruce's arms looped around her waist, and he yawned loudly, before kissing her gently on the cheek. "Hmm?" He was still tired, and he brought one hand up to rub at his eyes. "What about Alfred?"

"He's home, Bruce," Kate said softly. "Commissioner Gordon is also here to speak with you."

Bruce frowned, and sat up, still keeping one arm wrapped securely around Kate's waist. "Alfred is home?"

"Yes." Kate ran a hand through his hair, attempting to fix the mess that had occurred while he had slept. "As is Commissioner Gordon."

"What does Gordon want?" Bruce inquired as he rose up from the bed. He leaned over, and planted a kiss on her cheek before he began his search for clothes.

"I have no idea. I'm assuming it's to discuss what happened a few weeks ago," Kate replied. "But you should probably hurry."

"I'm going as fast as I can," Bruce grumbled. "It would help if you hadn't decided to throw my clothes all around the room."

"That was all your doing, Love," Kate replied, and stuck her tongue out. "This is a really comfy robe, but I'm going to go to the guest room and put something warmer on."

As she was walking towards the door, Bruce reached out, and looped his arm around her waist, reeling her back in until she was firmly pressed against his chest. "You're pretty fantastic," he murmured.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kate asked, arching a brow.

Bruce grinned, and tucked a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. His lips parted slightly, and he looked as if he were about to say something, but instead, he cleared his throat, and his grin faded into a forced smile. "I guess you had better go get dressed."

To tell her that he thought he loved her would only pull her in more. It would only make the pain more unbearable when something went wrong. Bruce Wayne couldn't afford to love someone that held the risk of being taken away at any moment. Although, she was already too close, and he was, once again, concerned. What would the consequences be when Kate was harmed?

Kate nodded, and slipped out of his grasp. "I guess you had better go talk to the Commissioner," she said in response. She had seen it in his eyes, the unspoken words that neither of them would say. Kate didn't want to admit how she felt, and neither did he. Yet it hurt her to see him swallow his words, and remain silent. She had already told him, weeks before, how she really felt, and yet it seemed to go unnoticed.

Bruce watched her go, and then angrily dragged his hand through his hair. He grabbed the first shirt that was hanging up in his closet, a classic, white polo. It was odd. Bruce wasn't sure whether to dress professionally for company, or to just be comfortable. After a moment, he decided to just go with his very casual jeans, and polo.

"Master Wayne, Commissioner Gordon is in your study," Alfred said, smiling as he watched him come down the stairs. "It's wonderful to see you again, Master Wayne."

"Alfred." Bruce smiled in return, and gently patted the older man on the back. "Why don't you go rest? Enjoy yourself?"

"I've got coffee brewing, so I'll go attend to that," Alfred said.

"No," Bruce said firmly. "Alfred, you've just been in the hospital for far too long. Please, just take this day off, and let Kate and I make you feel comfortable."

"Is that an order?" Alfred inquired, his lips quirking up into another smile.

"Yes, Alfred, it is an order," Bruce replied, and chuckled. "If you see Kate on your way up, will you please have her come downstairs?"

"Of course," Alfred nodded, and started his slow walk up the stairs.

Bruce walked into his study, rubbing at the back of his neck tiredly just before he entered. "Commissioner Gordon, how can I help you?" he smiled warmly, and greeted the Police Commissioner with a firm handshake.

"Mister Wayne, how have you been?" Gordon inquired, taking a seat when Bruce offered it.

"I've been better, Commissioner," Bruce answered honestly. "The attempt on Alfred's life has not been an easy thing to go through."

"I can assure you that we have been working diligently on the case," Gordon promised. "However, we have...urm...uncovered some startling information."

Bruce arched a brow, and glanced back at the closed door. "What information?"

"Mister Wayne, how long have you known Kate Matthews for?" Gordon asked.

Bruce cleared his throat, and again rubbed at the back of his neck. "I've known her since her first day at Wayne enterprises. Nearly six months?" Bruce shrugged. He wasn't entirely sure, to be completely honest, but he knew that whatever Jim Gordon was about to say was not good.

"Mister Wayne, I'm going to need to speak with her," Gordon said.

"Commissioner, she's been under the weather lately, and I can assure you that she is not essential to this case," Bruce immediately replied. If Kate had been present, she would have been infuriated with Bruce's behavior. She would have demanded information, whereas Bruce was more keen on keeping it quiet.

"Mister Wayne, whomever tried to kill Alfred had ties to the Marcus family." The look in Gordon's eyes was one of suspicion. "Your girlfriend hasn't been completely honest with you. I assume you've done complete background checks? She almost makes the cut."

"What are you talking about?" Bruce said slowly. "Are you trying to say that Miss Matthews had something to do with this?"

"Mister Wayne, Katherine is the daughter of Richard Marcus. He is the only man who has a preference for poison. This case is identical to so many other cases that didn't end so well. She also had direct connections to the Crane family."

"How do you know she's his daughter?" Bruce inquired. He wanted solid proof before he gave in.

"We matched their DNA," Gordon smiled briefly, knowing that Bruce was fishing for information. "It's a positive match. We had blood from an old crime scene, as well as blood from Katherine's most recent hospital visit. Her father is still on record."

Bruce was silent. It was as if Gordon had known that something wasn't completely right with Kate. "She didn't try to kill Alfred," Bruce said confidently. "I know, she's far too kind."

"Mister Wayne, I can understand that you might be a little shocked that your employee is a woman on the run, but you must have something more than just that." Gordon had that mischievous twinkle in his eyes, the one that appeared when he knew he had someone cornered.

"She isn't a danger to anyone," Bruce said firmly. "The only thing she's running from is her past. Have you seen the things that she's done since she started running?"

"She is also wanted for a homicide, Mister Wayne," Gordon said. "May I speak to her?"

"Mister Wayne does not need to answer for me," Kate had been standing outside the door, holding her breath as she listened. She stepped inside slowly, her eyes meeting with the Commissioner's. She wore a pair of tattered jeans, and a sleek, blue button up shirt. Tucked in the waistband of her pants was a hand gun.

Bruce rose up quickly, and he looked at her, concern in his eyes. "Kate, you don't have to speak with him."

"Bruce, why don't you give us some privacy?" Kate asked, turning to look at him. In doing so, Gordon saw the gun sticking out from her pants, and he rose up, his hand moving towards his own gun.

In a mere second, Bruce had reached behind Kate, pulled out the gun, and aimed it directly at the Commissioner. "Stop," he said, shoving Kate behind him.

Gordon, who had years of practice simply drawing his gun, was stunned by the speed at which Bruce had gone to protect her. With a nod, Gordon placed his gun down on the desk, and held up his hands in surrender. "Do you doubt her yet, Mister Wayne?"

Bruce slowly lowered his arm. He turned, his dark eyes meeting with Kate's. The gun was completely unexpected, and Bruce wasn't sure what it meant. What had she been planning on doing? "Why?" It was the only thing he asked, the only thing that seemed to pass his lips.

Kate bit down on her lower lip, feigning innocence, and sadness. When Bruce seemed to relax, she jumped forward, grabbing onto his wrist, and ripping the gun out of his grasp. "Tell me what you know, or I'll put a bullet into his heart," Kate snarled at Gordon, her finger resting on the trigger, and the barrel pressed firmly against Bruce's chest.

"You're lying," Bruce said, and he wrapped his own hand around her wrist gently. His shock, surprise, and disappointment all flooded his tone. What was going on?

Kate's body was tense, and he could see the strange mixture of hurt, and fierce defiance in her eyes. "Commissioner Gordon, tell me what you know," she repeated slowly. She had no idea how she had managed to hold Bruce at gunpoint. He was trained, but, as she thought, she realized that it was because he had trusted her, just like she trusted him.

Gordon was silent. He waited for a long moment before speaking. "Miss Marcus...I can understand your frustration, but if you want answers, perhaps you should be threatening someone that you don't care so dearly for," he said softly. "You won't put a bullet in his chest."

Slowly, and with purpose, she cocked the gun. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest. She needed to know what they had uncovered about her past. "What do you know about Katherine Marcus?"

"Only what tests, DNA, and several very old, very dusty files have been able to tell me." Gordon's hands were slowly inching downward. He didn't completely know if he could trust his gut this time. While he believed she was innocent, the cold, tangible hatred in her eyes was something else. A girl, bred beneath men who believed honor came in the form of how many men one had killed.

"Who else knows about me?"

"Kate, stop this," Bruce pleaded.

"Shut up," Kate said coldly. "If those tests have been catalogued...or documented...I'm dead." Fear and dread welled up inside of her. All she needed was answers. Maybe Bruce would understand, but then again, he came from privilege and wealth, whereas she came from the darkness, and filth of the world.

"Miss Marcus, all of the information has been destroyed. I did so immediately after receiving the results." Gordon let his hands fall to his sides. "It was only my intention to see if my gut was right."

"Why would you do that?" Kate asked quietly.

"Because I can tell the difference between true guilt, and innocence," Gordon said. "All I wanted was to make sure I was right."

Kate stared at him for a long moment, but the anger, and distrust she felt was still there. "In order to survive, one must adapt. I adapted. I am adaptable."

"You don't have to run," Bruce interrupted. "Put the damn gun down, and stop pretending like you're some cold blooded killer."

Kate whipped her head around, and angrily shoved at him with her other hand. "You don't know what it's like. You don't understand what I had to do to survive."

"I don't." Bruce could feel her starting to break. He could see it. Her hand was shaking, perhaps from rage, or fear, or both. Without thinking, Bruce gently began to pull her fingers away from the gun until she loosened her grip, and surrendered the weapon into his hands.

"I'm sorry, Commissioner Gordon, for my rude behavior," Kate said, keeping her eyes downcast. She offered Bruce nothing. No apology, no answers, only her silence. Without another word, she turned, and walked out of the room, leaving them in silence.

"Well," Gordon cleared his throat, and then holstered his gun, "that escalated quickly."

Bruce forced a chuckle, and then placed the other weapon down onto the chair. "Commissioner Gordon, I'll lead you to the door." He would go speak with Kate when she had calmed down. Otherwise, he assumed he would only start another argument.

"I apologize for my accusations," Gordon said, just as he stepped over the threshold, and entered Gotham's chilly night air. "Please, tell Miss Matthews that I am sorry. I never meant to scare her."

"You didn't scare her," Bruce reassured. "The possibility that what she carefully created for so many years could be destroyed by a few tests is what really frightened her. She'll be fine." It was a lie. Bruce had no idea how Kate would be after taking that information in. She was still connected to her past by her blood, and Bruce could only imagine how haunting, and difficult that would be.

"I left a envelope on your desk," Gordon said. "There is information in there that you need to see. I figured my visit might be cut short if I took the confrontational route. In hindsight, I see that it was a bad idea."

"Commissioner, there's nothing to be done about it now," Bruce said. "I appreciate the information. I'll keep you in the loop if I learn anything new."

Bruce closed the door, and retreated to his study, finding a thick, manila envelope containing documents that would take Bruce hours to read through.

The one thing that caught his eye was the rate at which Gotham's crime was increasing at. The time that Batman had spent trying to uncover the problems with Cameron Crane, he had forgotten to keep his eyes on the entire city. There was a spike in crimes, but specifically a spike in the crimes surrounding the area of Arkham Asylum.

How was it possible for an area that he was watching over constantly to have such a dramatic increase in crime without his knowledge? With a loud, frustrated sigh, Bruce shook his head, and lifted his gaze. His eyes rested on the gun that had been held to his chest, and his mind wandered back to the woman who shared his bed. What had she been thinking? It was his job to make sure she felt safe in his home. She needed him to protect her. Or, at least, that's what he thought. She could beat him in a fight, and was physically able to protect herself, but, like anyone, she forgot to protect the most important thing; her mind, and her heart.

However, Gotham needed his help. His city, he was learning, was not the only important thing in his life, but Batman needed to put the city first. Everything else, his business, the company, and the ones he loved, needed to be second.

Gotham needed Batman. Anything less would have the city decaying faster than it already was.

* * *

**I wish I could supply you with something better. After months of being gone, I know that you might have thought I was in the process of writing something insanely epic, and mind blowing. That did not happen (obviously), but I hope you still enjoyed the chapter nonetheless.**

**On a much brighter side, I think I've figured out a way to end this fanfic (We've still got several chapters to go!), with an intense bang. The whole intense bang will probably fizzle down to an exhausted ending...but hey, I can't say that I didn't try.**

**Again, thank you for staying with me, reading, and reviewing this piece. I appreciate it so much.**


	19. Chapter Nineteen: The Calm

**So, some of you might have been confused by the last chapter. I was confused by the last chapter. Specifically because I realized, too late, that I had uploaded the wrong chapter. **

**By wrong, I mean I had two alternative chapters written. They changed only slightly, but in one, Kate did not threaten Bruce. There was a fairly civil, and much more tension free way to end the chapter. I was going to upload that, and I apparently did not.**

**So now you don't get to read it! Mwahahaha! Due to the fact that finals week was approaching, I had a lot of things on my mind, and I may have (Okay, I did), let myself have a little writing marathon, so I could write whatever I wanted.**

**On a second note, calm down! :) I'm hoping that when this fan fic wraps up, you'll be content, and that you'll be excited for a sequel. I'm excited for a sequel, because it's panning out in my head at a fairly interesting rate. Unfortunately, my school load, along with my work load has increased. I sincerely apologize for taking so long to produce a new chapter, I just have no free time for writing. Also, I have no beta, and all mistakes are my own.**

* * *

"Hey." Bruce knew better than to charge into the room, guns blazing. He needed her with her defenses down if he really wanted to get anywhere. "How are you?"

"That's a pretty dumb question," Kate scoffed. She brought her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs tightly. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I think we need to talk about it," Bruce replied. "I didn't even realize that you had brought a gun into the manor with you."

"Necessary protection," Kate explained. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and then sighed quietly.

"From what?" Bruce asked. "That's what I'm here for."

"Bruce, can we please not talk about this?" Kate repeated. "It would be nice for you to trust me to take care of myself, rather than always hover over me.

"Were you really going to shoot me?" Bruce inquired, sitting down beside her. "Or were you bluffing?"

"Chose whichever one sounds better to you," Kate answered quietly. She refused to make eye contact with him, her eyes locked onto the soft, thick carpet.

"Kate," Bruce stretched his arm out, and gently pulled one hand away from her body, and held onto it tightly. "Talk to me."

She was tense, and Bruce could feel her attempt to pull her hand out of his grasp. When he refused to release her hand, she turned her head slightly, but did not raise her gaze. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "You don't always understand me, Bruce."

"I know I don't," Bruce told her exactly what he thought. She was a mystery to him at times, but it was something that he truly enjoyed about her. "But I thought that you and I were on good terms. I thought we understood each other."

"Good terms?" Kate laughed weakly. "We've been arguing for weeks, Bruce. It seems that last night was only the calm before the storm."

"Kate, those things happen," Bruce explained. "I just...don't understand why you thought you needed to bring a gun into the study."

"Bruce, we understand each other on some level, but...this is where our differences come into play," Kate said softly. "I grew up knowing that if I was threatened, I needed to be able to protect myself, by whatever means necessary."

"I can protect you," Bruce promised. "I'm not trying to be suffocating by saying that. I can protect you, not because you can't protect yourself, but because I need you to be okay."

"You _want_ me to be okay," Kate corrected him. "But I'm not okay. I'm paranoid that my past is going to become my future." When it came to her past, she was very selfish. No one understood her better than herself, not even Bruce Wayne.

"Kate, I love you," Bruce said, and he gently cupped her face between his hands. "I will do anything to make sure that you're safe. "

Kate's blue eyes finally met with his, and she sighed softly, leaning into his touch. "Why?"

"Because I want to be there to keep you safe from anything, and everything that gets in your way," Bruce began, gently stroking the side of her face with his fingertips. "Because I'm very controlling, and selfish."

"You're also very mean to yourself," Kate said. "I'm selfish, stubborn, and very independent."

"Problem solved. I'll be less controlling, and you can be less stubborn," he joked, and then smiled faintly. "How do I go about earning your trust back? I fear I've lost it."

"You never did, Bruce," Kate said. "I just don't know what to do right now. I just feel like I'm being backed into a corner, with no place to go."

He placed a kiss against her cheek, his lips lingering there for a moment. "You are never alone," he murmured into her ear. "And you belong right here," he wrapped his arms around her, and held her tightly against his chest.

Kate went silent, her eyelids fluttering shut as she stayed there, cradled in Bruce's warm embrace. It was comforting, the soft scent of some expensive cologne wafted off of him, and he radiated warmth. She felt safe in his arms.

"As much as I would love to stay like this for forever, Kate," Bruce started, gently smoothing her hair back. "We have to figure some things out."

Kate nodded her head, and pulled away from him, her hands curling around his. "May I speak first?"

Bruce smiled, and chuckled. "Of course, Beautiful."

"I know you don't like the idea, but...if you're going to go into the asylum, I would like to go with you," she requested. "However, I know that you don't like that idea. What if I entered the asylum only after I get an all clear from you?"

Bruce clenched his jaw, and stared at her for a long moment. She knew he was completely against it, but she was smart, trying to make a deal with him. If things weren't safe, he could always say no, and she wouldn't come in. "Alright," he finally said after a very long moment.

"Really?" Kate's smiled spread. She had been expecting him to immediately shoot down her idea. "If something goes awry-"

"If something goes awry, you will not enter the building," Bruce interrupted, and then grimaced. "Sorry."

Kate pursed her lips, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Of course," she said, but she couldn't hide the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Bruce sighed, and shook his head. A small, brief smile tugged at the corner of his lips again. "I suppose the most I can ask of you is that you'll be careful, and watch your surroundings."

"I'm smart, Bruce, remember?" Kate joked. "You know I'll be careful."

"Kate, if our roles were reversed, and you were in trouble, I can't say how attentive I would be to my surroundings," Bruce said. "I don't want that to happen to you. If something happens to me, I hope you run, and come back here." He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, his eyes focused on their joined hands.

Kate leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Bruce Wayne, are you telling me that Batman would let his guard down?"

Bruce closed his eyes, and squeezed her hands. "Batman can't afford to have a weakness, but that doesn't mean that Bruce Wayne doesn't."

"I'm flattered," Kate whispered into his ear. "But everyone has a weakness, just don't let yourself give in to it, whether or not I'm in a life threatening situation."

"I aim to make sure you never end up in a life threatening situation ever again," Bruce replied firmly. "Let's just both try to think of it like this; if they get one of us, it's up to the other one to do the rescuing."

Kate laughed softly, and planted another kiss on his cheek. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"I suppose that's all I can ask for," Bruce offered her a smile, and then rose up. "I need to do a little work at the office, but does a date with the night sound good to you?"

Kate grinned, and stood up. "It sounds splendid," she said. "When should I expect to see you?"

"Meet me in the Cave at ten?" Bruce asked, looping his arms around her waist. "I'm sure you can figure out how to get in."

Kate pouted playfully, and then leaned up on her tiptoes, brushing her lips against his. "I guess I could try and trick Alfred into letting me in." Kate already knew where the entrance to his Cave was, but she wasn't sure what keys to press on the piano.

"That's my girl," Bruce said, laughing softly as he released her. "Do you want a hint?"

"You have little faith," Kate remarked, patting his chest lightly. "Go put on your suit and tie, Mister Wayne." The way he was talking, it didn't sound like he would be back at the manor until they were supposed to meet. "You aren't going to be home earlier?"

"Unfortunately, not tonight," Bruce told her. "Lucius and I have to work out some budgeting costs for the company."

"And by that I assume you are funding another project?" Kate inquired. The only reason why he would spend his entire day at the office was for something of great significance.

"It's in the works," Bruce responded, and smiled. "Nothing official yet."

"Well, if you do need anything, or get bored, you can call me," Kate flashed him a smile, and winked. "I can't guarantee that I'll answer, because I'll be too busy playing with all of your toys in the cave, but I'm sure I could pull myself away from that for a little while."

"That's assuming you can get inside," Bruce teased, throwing a wink back at her. "And I've specifically warned Alfred about you, and how you might use your allure and charm to convince him into letting you into the Cave. Trust me when I say this, he won't let you in." Bruce smirked, and headed for the door.

"While I could rely on my allure and charm to get inside, I think I'll just use the one thing that you forgot to mention," Kate responded, with a smirk of her own.

Bruce looked over his shoulder, and arched a brow. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"I guess you'll have to wait and find out," Kate said smoothing, and laughed. "Now get out of here, and get to work!"

"I'll see you later, Kate," Bruce said, and chuckled as he disappeared down the hall.

Kate's smile faded, and she sat back down on the couch. Her eyes fell onto an open book on the coffee table in front of her, and for the first time, she noticed that in between the weathered pages was a sheet of Bruce's stationary. The book had been there for weeks, and a thin layer of dust rested on the cover. Kate leaned forward, and carefully slid the sheet of paper out of book.

Kate did not recognize the handwriting, but the identity was quickly revealed as she read.

_ Bruce,_

_ We fall so that we can pick ourselves back up again. I have watched you grow up, I have seen you struggle, and I have yearned for happiness in your life. You have a wonderful, beautiful woman in your life now, and when you fall, she is there to help you to your feet. When she falls, you can help her to her feet. This doesn't mean that you must smother her, or protect her, but be there for her. Don't push her away, Bruce. She isn't perfect, but neither are you. Don't push the golden things in your life away._

_ Alfred_

Kate read it once, and then again, before gently tucking it back in between the pages of the book. It was not meant for her eyes, but it warmed her heart none the less. It was time to put aside the differences, and the petty arguments, and work together, even if it wasn't the easiest thing to do.

* * *

**I haven't written for quite some time, and I finally finished this up after a long day of classes, papers, and projects.**

** This semester is packed with philosophical classes, and ones that require more attention than they deserve. The likelihood of another chapter being up within the next few months is slim. I will do my best, but know that I do put my school in front of my fanfic, and always will. I'm sorry that it takes so long, but that's life for you.  
**

**Again, thank you for the reviews, and the time you spent reading this. I appreciate it greatly!**


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